Jute Mill Workers League, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, or CBA, and the non-CBA Association called the strike over demands which include the payment of due salaries and implementation of the wage commission’s recommendations.

Workers from jute mills under the Bangladesh Jute Mill Corporation (BJMC) in Chattogram blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway and the Chattogram-Rangamati Highway in Sitakunda from 8am on Tuesday. The shuttle train to Chattogram-Dhaka-Sylhet and Chattogram University-bound shuttle train was also blocked by protestors.

Despite the blockade programme being slated for four hours until 12pm, the demonstrations were ended at 9:30am due to the ongoing HSC examinations, said Md Mahbub, the general secretary of of Hafiz Jute Mill CBA.

“The blockades will continue over the next two days.”

Meanwhile, workers from nine state-owned jute mills in Khulna and Jashore began their protest around 6am Tuesday. They blocked the highways and railways between 8am and 12pm.

The agitated workers halted productions at the mills and blocked the Kabir Battala Road on the Khulna-Jashore Highway by torching tyres.

The blockade stalled the scheduled train services at the Khulna Rail Station on Tuesday, causing difficulties for passengers.

Benapole-bound Commuter, Dhaka-bound Chitra Express, Rajshahi-bound Mahananda Express and Syedpur-bound Rupsa Express could not set off due to the blockade, said Khulna Station Master Manik Chandra Sarker.

“The BJMC chairman had assured us that the recommendations of the wage commission would be implemented by Mar 28 but that never happened. Therefore, we were compelled to re-launch our movement to ensure our demands are met,” Murad Hossain, convener of Khulna-Jashore wing of Bangladesh Jute Mill Shramik League told bdnews24.com.

The nine-point demand by the workers includes—implementation of the recommendation by the National Wage and Productivity Commission-2015, providing provident fund, gratuity to the retired workers, paying the insured amount for the dead workers, re-appoint the terminated workers, appointment and confirmation of jobs for workers, increase the budget to buy the jute during peak season and to bring the jute mills under BMRE in phases in order to increase the production.