The Hindu : Business : Efforts on to avert strike in jute industry

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 17, 2004

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Business

Efforts on to avert strike in jute industry

By Special Correspondent

KOLKATA, NOV. 16. A tripartite meeting has been called on November 18 to avert the indefinite strike called from November 29 by 14 Central trade unions in the jute industry which have submitted a long charter of demands.

The demands include payment of dearness allowance arrears, provident fund, gratuity regularisation of contract labour and issue of badli workers, according to trade union sources.

Sources in the Indian Jute Mills Association, the apex industry body, said even if the strike call was withdrawn after the joint meeting of the State Government, the mill managements and the trade unions, production loss was inevitable as many jute workers had already begun leaving for their villages in anticipation of a long strike.

Admitting that several issues had remained unresolved, the apex body sources said implementation of a productivity-linked wage system (linking one-third of wages) was pivotal for the industry's survival.

Pointing out that exports and delivery schedules were likely to be affected in case the strike continued for long, the sources said in the first half of 2004-05 exports had suffered a 22 per cent decline in volume terms and 30 per cent in value terms.

The major reason was that with the withdrawal of export incentives, exporters were now looking increasingly at the domestic market, especially in view of the mandatory packaging order which stipulated that 100 per cent of foodgrains and 90 per cent of sugar had to be packed in jute bags.

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