The government is going to retrench about 2,000 workers of closed 25 jute mills under Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) to reduce huge administrative cost incurred by the state owned mills. The closed jute mills have about 3000 workers and staff.

But the BJMC leaders demanded the government to incorporate their staff and officials other government agencies instead of retrenchment.

A meeting will be held at finance division auditorium to finalize the matter before sending it for approval by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Finance Minister AHM Mostafa Kamal on Thursday (August 20). Additional Secretary of Treasury and Debit Management Sheikh Mohammed Salim Ullah will preside over the meeting.

BJMC chairman Md Abdur Rouf told Business Mirror that after closure of the state owned jute mills its workers and officials remain idle. The will take initiative so that most of the workforce are to be get job at private mills.

However, BJMC leaders do not supporting the Ministry approach. A BJMC official said preferring anonymity that they do not need retrenchment benefit, rather, they should get new jobs in other government organizations.

Labour leader Faiezul Hakim said, “It is inhumane to retrench so many BJMC staff in the middle of their career. Concerned authorities should rethink their decision and listen carefully to staff demands.”

The state-owned entity was once the pride of the nation. For a period, just after Independence, people preferred BJMC jobs over a career in civil service.

The government recently shut down 25 jute mills under BJMC in order to end the perennial issue of astronomical losses blighting from those mills.

These incurred a cumulative loss of Tk 106.74 billion while the government provided subsidies worth Tk 106.74 billion in this sector over the last 48 years, according to official data. BJMC was established in 1972 to monitor the nationalized jute mills.