Labourers, employees and Officials of 15-state owned sugar mills including Rajshahi Sugar Mills are suffering from the panic of privatisation of the mills.
Specially, the panic increased following the issuance of two letters from the higher authorites of Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation and the Special Branch of Police to the authorities of the closed sugar mills of the country. The letter of BSFIC has clearly indicated to hand over the sugar mills to private enterprises.
The letter asked the concerned authorities to mention the amount of financial requirement for Golden Handshake of the officials and workers of the mills. On September 30, Chief Personnel of BSFIC Rafiqul Islam sent a letter to the mills' authorities seeking information of total assets of the mills and the number of staff. Receiving such letters, the labourers and staff of the mills are now panicky over losing their jobs.
According to sources, in case of privatisation of 16 state-owned sugar mills of the country, nearly 60,000 regular and 15,000 seasonal labourers and employees of those mills will lose their jobs. The entire sugar industries of the country will go under the grip of private entrepreneurs and the price of sugar in the market will be increased. There will be no assurance of getting quality sugar and thus increasing the health hazard of the consumers.
Mozibur Rahman, President of Rajshahi Sugar Mills Shramik-Karamchari Union informed, the government was contemplating to hand over sugar mills of the country under private entrepreneurs. He further mentioned, 622 staff of Rajshahi Sugar Mills are not good in condition. They did not get salaries for last three-month. Under such situation, if the sugar mills are privatised, many of us will lose our jobs. He demanded not to privatise the sugar mills and to run the mills under state ownership. He also demanded modernisation of mills and repaying arrear salaries of staff of the mills as soon as possible.
Munaz Ali, General Secretary of the organisation informed we are all now panicky.
Abdus Selim, Managing Director of RSM informed, the letters have been given from the BSFIC and the Special Branch of Police to the mills authorities aiming to hand over the mills under private entrepreneurs but Industry Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun during his recent visit to Thakurgaon Sugar Mills has said, the sugar mills will not be handed over to private entrepreneurs.
