BJMC staff demand unpaid salaries and gratuity payments

Officers and employees of the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) held a gate meeting demanding budget allocation for regular salaries and allowances, payment of gratuities to retired staff, and permission to construct BJMC's own office-cum-commercial building on its designated land at Karim Chamber, Motijheel, rather than transferring the land to the Ministry of Finance.

On 18 November 2025, Bapashiks and the CBA submitted a written application to the adviser and secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, seeking approval for the construction of the new building. However, as no progress has been made, the BJMC Officers' and Employees' Unity Council organised a gate meeting today, Sunday, 7 December 2025, from 9am to 10am at the main gate of the BJMC head office (Adamjee Court, Annex-1). Similar gate meetings were held at the offices of 25 jute mills under BJMC.

Officers and employees from all levels participated spontaneously. BJMC's chief operating officer, general managers of administration and public service, accounts and finance, legal, production, marketing and planning, as well as deputy general managers of maintenance and marketing, the CBA president, the president of the retired officers' association, and leaders of the Officers' Association addressed the gathering.

Speakers stated: 'In July 2020, the previous government shut down BJMC's production operations, offering golden handshake retirement to workers and deciding to absorb surplus officers and employees into other organisations. Until their absorption, the government committed to paying their salaries. More than five years have passed and the absorption process remains incomplete. For nearly four years after the mill closures, salaries were paid using funds from selling BJMC's stockpiled jute goods. From July 2024 to February 2025, the Ministry of Finance paid BJMC salaries. However, for the past eight to nine months, no allocation has been provided. Officers and employees are not receiving salaries and many are living in extreme hardship. We urge immediate allocation of necessary funds.'

The speakers added that since 2021, no budget has been allocated for gratuity payments to retired officers and employees. Hundreds of retirees are suffering financial distress, with many unable to afford medical treatment, children's education or marriage expenses. They demanded the immediate release of necessary funds to pay gratuities on humanitarian grounds.

The speakers further noted that BJMC is the oldest and largest autonomous organisation in the country, yet it currently has no office building of its own in Dhaka. The Adamjee Court building—once BJMC property—was taken over by the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, leaving BJMC to operate there as a tenant. The only land BJMC owns in Dhaka is 99 Motijheel (Karim Chamber), where its long-cherished plan was to construct a new office-cum-commercial building.

However, the ministry has begun the process of transferring the Karim Chamber land to the Ministry of Finance. Officers and employees strongly opposed this move and urged the government to instead allow BJMC to construct its own office-cum-commercial building there.

They declared that peaceful demonstrations would continue until these demands are met, warning that more stringent action programmes may follow.

Following the gate meeting, representatives of BJMC's head office and mills handed over a memorandum outlining the demands to the BJMC chair for submission to the adviser of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute.