United News of Bangladesh

Jute workers in Khulna blocked road for the third consecutive day on Thursday, demanding the unconditional withdrawal of the ban on raw jute exports and compensation for workers who lost their jobs due to the suspension of exports. The workers – under the banner of Daulatpur Jute Press and Baling Workers’ Union – took to the Khulna-Jashore Highway around 10:00am and blocked the stretch from Religate to Daulatpur in the city. A large number of women also joined the demonstrations in support of the movement, staging protest marches and occupying the highway alongside the workers. Workers placed logs and bamboo poles on the road, halting vehicular movement and causing suffering for commuters, as long vehicles remained stranded on both sides of the highway. They withdrew the blockade after one hour around 11:00am. The protesting workers said the Ministry of Textiles and Jute imposed a ban on raw jute exports on September 8 last year, effectively stopping overseas shipments. As a result, they claimed, hundreds of thousands of press and baling workers in Khulna and Narayanganj have become unemployed.   The workers also claimed that they are going through extreme financial hardship with their families as work has remained suspended. They noted that Daulatpur in Khulna is a major jute export processing zone and home to a large number of workers dependent on the sector for their livelihoods. The workers further alleged that a notification issued by the Ministry of Textiles and Jute on May 17 reaffirmed that raw jute exports would not be allowed, prompting them to intensify the protest movement. The demonstrators warned that their agitation will continue until their demands are met.