Sugar mill closures pose employee transfer headache for BSFIC

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Thousands in fear of losing careers, with seasonal and deal workers at greater risk than long lasting staff

The Bangladesh Sugars and Food Industries Corporation’s (BSFIC) recent decision to close businesses of six state-owned glucose mills until they are modernized has sparked protests among personnel fearing job losses.

Sectors Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun comes with assured that employees will be used in the other state-owned mills until the modernization is complete. Even so, ensuring career for all your workers until the reopening of the mills will be a difficult task.

When contacted by Dhaka Tribune about Sunday evening, the industries minister said: “To start with, we are not going to close down any sugars mills. We are acquiring initiatives to modernize them to lessen our loses.

“During the renovation period, our permanent workers will be attached to other work in a few other mills or perhaps related sectors, but contract-based employees have to await the mill reopening to rejoin their work,” he added.

He further said the 9 mills that remain in procedure will coordinate sugarcane threshing before modernization is completed.

BSFIC Chairman Sanat Kumar Saha likewise told the mass media the employees of the closed mills will be shifted to the various other state-owned mills.

How many persons will be influenced by the closures?

In a government order on December 2, the BSFIC said development at six mills-Pabna Sugar, Shyampur Sugar, Panchagar Sugar, Setabganj Sugar, Rangpur Sugar, and Kushtia Sugar-would be closed until further see.

Around 3,000 workers are employed at the 6 mills. 

A top-level officer of Carew, Carew & Co (Bangladesh) Ltd, the country's largest state-owned sugars mill, on Sunday told Dhaka Tribune: “The BFIC has asked us just how many employees we can afford to have from the closed mills. We told them we're able to accept a maximum of about 160 of the employees.”

When contacted, Bangladesh Sugars Industry Corporation Workers-Staff members Federation President Masudur Rahman said: ““BSFIC can change their long term officers and staff from the closed six mills to various other mills, however the contract based personnel are at threat of losing their jobs.

“Another difficulty will be created if the BSFIC shifts an officer or worker in one of the 6 mills to a mill where an officer of the same rank is already employed in the same post,” he added.

Mazaharul Haque Pradhan, president of the Bangladesh Sugar Mills Sugarcane Farmers Federation, said: “Farmers on the areas with the closed mills will not cultivate sugarcane if the mills give up threshing the crops. Without sugarcane, these mills will automatically close and a large number of workers will lose their jobs.”

He also said the BFIC decision to close the mills would directly have an impact on 60-70,000 farmers and indirectly affect 10 million people.

Workers announce protests

Workers of the 15 state-owned sugar mills and sugarcane farmers have announced protests programs against the closure of six of the mills during the threshing season.

The Bangladesh Sugar Mills Sugarcane Federation and Bangladesh Glucose Industries Corporation Personnel Federation announced the programs at a press conference in Dhaka's Segunbagicha on Saturday.

The personnel and farmers will stage a two-hour strike daily from Monday until December 15 if the federal government does not withdraw your choice to close the mills, representatives of both federations said.

BSFIC Chairman Sanat Kumar Saha cannot come to be reached for comment by Dhaka Tribune on Sunday.
Source: https://www.dhakatribune.com

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