May 7, 2015
Saugata Roy speaks on the problems faced by jute mills in West Bengal | Full Transcript
Full Transcript
Jute mills are closing down not only in my constituency, but also, in Barrackpore represented by Sri Denesh Trivedi, Serampore represented by Sri Kalyan Banerjee and also Hooghly represented by Dr Ratna De Nag.
The Jute industry in West Bengal, which employs 2.5 lakh workers, is going through a serious crisis. Though a Tripartite Wage Agreement was signed in the industry by the Government of West Bengal recently, serious labour trouble is erupting in different mills, especially in this month over non-payment of wages. On the morning of May 1, 2015, Notice of Suspension of Work was issued in Nafarchand and Kankinada Jute Mills in the Barrackpore industrial belt. On the same night, similar Suspension of Work Notice was issued in Victoria Jute Mill, Telinipara, in the Hooghly industrial belt. The mill employs 5000 workers. On May 2, 2015, labour trouble erupted in Wellington Jute Mill of Rishra and India Jute Mill in Serampore, both in Serampore parliamentary constituency.
The Prabartak Jute Mill in Kamarhati, has been closed recently. The Kamarhati Jute Mill, also in my constituency, has also been closed sometimes back. Also, the Calcutta Jute Mill in north Kolkata is lying closed. All these closed jute mills together employed 50,000 workers.
The main reason for their problems is that the mills are not getting adequate orders from the Government of India as par the Jute Packaging Materials Act. And, they are not getting orders from either Government of India for jute sacking and also from the State Government.
There is also a problem regarding rising price of raw jute. Unless the Textile Ministry intervenes immediately, the crisis is going to get worse and more employees will be thrown out of employment.
Madam, I would like the Textile Minister to say something. Even if he is not present, some other Minister can reply, just as the Home Minister replied to a question of Food Processing, some other Minister can reply on behalf of him. This is a serious issue. Jute mills are being closed in the State. What is the Minister doing?
