Bengal govt inks wage pact with jute industry, CITU stays away

The West Bengal government on Thursday signed a wage agreement with the jute industry to ward off an impending strike in the mills, officials said.

The agreement, which was signed late on Wednesday, came into effect from Thursday, Labour Minister Malay Ghatak said.

As per the fresh agreement, new workers would get a maximum of Rs 385 per day, from the existing Rs 257.

In January this year, the state government had raised the wages for new joinees to Rs 327 a day as interim relief.

A worker is also entitled to get Rs 385 a day if his attendance is at least 24 days in a month, failing which the wage would be reduced to Rs 370 a day.

"This is a good wage agreement. Our government has given a better deal to the workers compared to the previous Left Front regime," Ghatak said.

The new deal came in the backdrop of an indefinite strike call from March 15 by trade unions demanding wage revision and implementation of Minimum Wages Act, among others.

As many as 21 trade unions, ...