CALCUTTA, July 8: The West Bengal government has formed a tripartite committee to look into the problems of the jute industry following an agreement signed in January 1997.

The committee has 10 representatives from the labour department, trade unions, the Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) and from non-IJMA mills.Labour commissioner N Das is heading the committee. IJMA is represented by GM Singhi, president, and Sanjay Kajaria.

Among the non-IJMA mills, S Pal of National Jute Manufacturers Corporation, the ailing public sector unit, and S Barat of Prabartak Jute Mill are in the committee.Members of the four major central trade unions are also in the committee. National Union of Jute Workers (Intuc-affiliated) is represented by Ganesh Sarkar, Debasish Dutta is representing the Federation of Chatkal Mazdoor Union (AITUC-affiliated), Gobindo Guha the Bengal Chatkal Mazdoor Union (Citu-affiliated) and Bivash Ghosh the jute workers wing of Hind Mazdoor Sabha.

Additional labour commissioner R K Saha has been appointed the convenor of this committee. All the members are scheduled to meet on July 22 for the first time. The committee is expected to look into a number of workers' problems, of which non-payment of the workers' provident fund, ESI and gratuity is at the top of the list. The committee will also investigate into alleged deployment of contract labour, bhagawallahs and zero number in the jute industry. Sources in the trade unions said that there are innumerable tricks that the jute mill owners resort to avoid the statutory payments to the workers. Contract labour, zero number and bhagawallahs are the simplest forms. They are temporary workers and can be retrenched at any point of time.

Mill owners only try to deprive the workers of their provident fund, ESI and gratuity. The wages paid to them are also less than what should have been paid," sources added. The committee is expected to submit a report to the state government on the state of the jute mill workers within the next six months.

Members of this committee are being advised by the state government to visit the ailing jute mills if it is necessary. Ganesh Sarkar, secretary of National Union of Jute Workers, said that if the committee carries out what it has been asked to and its recommendations implemented then it might bring about a change in the scenario."As of now there is no parity in the industry. While everyone is claiming that the jute industry is a dying sector, still everyone is clamouring to run a mill because they do not pay the proper wages, provident fund, ESI and gratuity. We would try to look into all these aspects," Sarkar said. The decision to form this committee was taken in January 14, 1997.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.