IJMA seeks Mamata's intervention, one union for Bengal's jute industry

Kolkata, June 23 (IANS) In the wake of the "ongoing crisis" in the jute industry in West Bengal following the lynching of a mill executive by workers, the Indian Jute Mill Association (IJMA) Monday said it will seek the intervention of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Expressing concern over the running of the industry by "miscreants, criminals and anti-socials", the IJMA has demanded "one industry union" or a "collective bargaining agent" in the state's jute sector.

IJMA representatives during the day held a meeting with state Labour Minister Purnendu Bose wherein it was decided that the state government would initiate all possible moves to find out an interim solution to the ongoing crisis in the jute industry.

"IJMA would soon approach the chief minister with a representation on the major problems confronting the jute industry," its chairman Raghavendra Gupta said in a statement.

"Inter and intra-union rivalry is giving birth to criminal activity in most mills. The ghastly development at North Brook Jute is an example of its adverse outcome," Gupta said referring to the June 15 lynching of H.K. Maheswari, the CEO of the jute mill in Hooghly district.

During the meeting, Bose assured the IJMA representatives that the problems prevailing in the industry, has been taken up at the appropriate levels of the state and central governments.

The association has also called for a holistic approach towards wage settlement for sustained viability of jute mills along with a uniform labour policy for all jute goods producing units within West Bengal.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to set up a Group of Ministers committee comprising several state ministers including Bose "to go deep into the details of the problems of jute industry and find out solutions".