Workers block roads, railways for second day

State-owned jute mill workers and employees continued 72-hour strike and blockaded roads and railways for four hours across the country for the second straight day on Wednesday for nine-point demands, including wage hike and payment of dues.
The road blockade caused enormous sufferings to passengers and Higher Secondary Certificate examinees at places in the morning. 
Long-route buses at most places had to use alternative roads running extra kilometres but the short-distance buses had to stay standstill at both the ends of the blockade points.
Due to railway blockade in Khulna and Jashore, rail communications between the region and rest of the part of Bangladesh remained snapped for over five hours.
Thousands of workers of 26 state-owned jute mills as well as their families rallied at their respective mill gates and marched towards nearby roads and railways and blockaded those at places, including Demra in Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi and Jashore.
The demands include adequate allocation for jute sector, payment of due provident fund and gratuity to retired workers and insurance benefit to the families of deceased workers, implementation of the recommendations of the National Wage and Productivity Commission 2015, appointment of workers, regularisation of temporary workers, reappointment of sacked workers and the balancing, modernisation, rehabilitation and expansion of the jute mills for better productivity.
Production remained suspended in the state-owned jute mills.
The workers resumed their protests from March 31 as their demands were not met by the government despite assurance, labour leaders said. 
In Dhaka, Latif Bawani Jute Mills and Karim Jute Mills workers blockaded Dhaka-Sylhet Highway near Demra Staff Quarter under Demra police station between 8:00am and 1:00pm, causing huge traffic congestion.
The protesters demonstrated setting fire on road and chanting slogans there. 
Passengers had to cross the blockaded road walking and no untoward incident was reported, said Demra police station officer-in-charge Siddiqur Rahman.
Drivers of long route buses from Sylhet region that entered Sayedabad Bus Terminal in Dhaka said that they had to use alternative Dhaka-Chittagong Highway from Kanchpur bridge and had to travel extra kilometres to reach Dhaka.
New Age correspondent in Chattogram reported that workers blocked the Hathazari-Muradpur road in front of the Amin Jute Mills, bringing traffic to a complete halt between 8:00am and 10:00am, said Chittagong Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Poritran Talukder.
At about 8:30am, a shuttle train which left Sholashahar station stuck at Bayezid due to the blockade. After 30 minutes the train left for Chittagong University. 
New Age correspondent in Khulna reported that workers took position on Natun Rasta, Shiromani and Khan Jahan Ali Road in the morning, halting traffic for about four hours since 8:00am.
They burned tyres and woods, fell benches and bricks to block the roads and chanted slogans carrying sticks and red flags.
Leaders of the Communist Party of Bangladesh and the Socialist Party of Bangladesh joined the protests at Natun Rasta.
Long-route buses towards Jashore and Dhaka avoided the blockade points and used alternative roads travelling extra 50 kilometres via Dumuria.
At about 10:00am, hundreds of stranded passengers were waiting at Khulna railway station since early morning.
Khulna railway station master Manik Chandra Sarkar told New Age that Rajshshi-bound Kobadak Express, which usually leaves Khulna at 6:30am, and Chilahati-bound Rocket Mail, which usually leaves Khulna at 9:30am, Dhaka-bound Chitra Express, which usually leaves Khulna at 8:40am, left Khulna between 1:00pm and 1:30pm.
Rajshshi –bound Mahananda Express, which usually leaves Khulna at 11:10am, left Khulna at about 2:30pm, officials said.
There are nine state-owned jute mills in Khulna and Jashore region.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net