Sylhet Bureau :
Bangladesh Trade Union Sangha Sylhet district held a rally at Sylhet’s historic court point on Friday to demand the opening of closed factories and the announcement of minimum wages in line with market rates.
District Acting President of the organization Abul Kalam Azad Sarkar presided over and Joint Secretary Ramzan Ali Patu conducted the Rally.
general secretary Md. Chadek Mia, Jatiya Chhatra Dal Sylhet District convener Shubo Azad Shanto, Sylhet District Collective Workers Union General Secretary Ruhul Amin, Sylhet District Hotel Workers Union Treasurer Sahidul Islam, Sports and Cultural Secretary Sagar Ahmad, Fenjuganj Upazila Committee General Secretary Md. Ripon Miah, General Secretary of Shahparan Thana Committee Zainal Miah also spoke the rally.
Speakers said that during the regime of the previous government, most of the industrial factories of the country, including sugar mills and jute mills, along with agriculture-based heavy industries, were illegally closed and handed over to a syndicate. During and before the corona virus, various factories in the country were closed to protect the interests of looters. Many industries in Sylhet were also closed by the former Awami dictatorial government. Almost all of the country’s jute industry, sugar industry, textile mills and silk industry were gradually destroyed. The leaders called for immediate closure of closed factories and opening of new industries under state ownership and repeal of all black laws and ordinances against labor interests including the Essential Services Bill, enactment of democratic labor laws, free assembly-strikes and free trade unions. They demanded to ensure their rights, form a new wage board for hotel-restaurant workers and immediately cancel the wage board formed by the autocratic Awami government and establish a wage board in the presence of appropriate workers’ representatives and set the minimum wage in line with the market rate.