Workers and employees of the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Company Limited at Anwara upazila in Chattogram staged a protest rally on Thursday, demanding an end to disparity in pay structure.
The protest rally began at 8:00am on the day in front of the factory under the banner of CUFL Sramik Karmachari Oikya Jote to press for a four-point demand.
Their demands include a uniform pay scale for the companies under the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, uninterrupted gas supply to CUFL, 5 per cent incentive allowance and 15 per cent special benefits for the CUFL workers and employees like those given to pay-scale workers, and faster promotions with higher grades and lump-grants.
Presiding over the rally, CUFL workers鈥� leader Syed Aslam Ali said that the CUFL operates under the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, but its technicians and operators are kept under a separate pay scale, creating disparity.
Worker leader Jalal Ahmed said, 鈥楾his factory has the capacity to produce 1,100 tonnes of urea a day. But it remains closed while the government imports fertiliser at higher costs from abroad. We demand an immediate restoration of gas supply to resume production at the factory.鈥�
Another worker leader Anwarul Azim Sabuj said that the past administration provided a 5 per cent incentive to all workers under the pay scale, but excluded those under the wage scale under which the CUFL workers and employees work.
He said that though the interim government approved a 15 per cent special allowance for government workers, but workers under the wage scale were again left out.
鈥榃e demand immediate formation of a wage commission to meet our demands,鈥� he said.
Following the rally, workers brought out a procession at the factory premises and submitted a memorandum to the CUFL managing director.
According to CUFL, the fully gas-dependent factory requires 48鈥�52 million cubic feet of gas a day to run at full capacity.
In the past financial year, the plant produced about 2,50,000 tonnes of urea due to gas shortages and mechanical issues.
Bangladesh鈥檚 agriculture-dependent economy requires about 2.6 million tonnes of urea annually.
CUFL and other BCIC plants together produce about 1 million tonnes, with the remaining 1.6 million tonnes imported at high prices.
In the past two years, CUFL has faced prolonged shutdowns due to mechanical failures and gas supply disruptions. In FY2023-24, it operated for only five days.
After halting production on February 7 past year, it resumed on October 13, only to face another shutdown on January 3 due to mechanical problems.
The plant finally restarted at 2:30am on February 26 after completing its startup process.
Established on October 29, 1987, with Japanese technical assistance, CUFL is located on the south bank of the Karnaphuli River at Anwara.
CUFL initially had an annual production capacity of 5,61,000 tonnes of urea.
