AGARTALA, Oct 9 (TIWN): Tripura Jute Mill Employees have started their scheduled-protest with work-strike voicing against their long pending wages under the Left Front Govt. The issue may turn as a political vault for the oppositions as all the employees have been working in Jute Mill are supporters of the CPI-M Govt since the beginning. But in 2016, SC had ordered Tripura Govt to pay a section of High Officials equal salaries as the other employees of PSUs on regular basis as the High Officials had filed a case against the ruling CPI-M Govt led the Tripura Govt under Chief Minister Manik Sarkar to pay them as other govt employees and also the govt cleared all pending wages of them. But 95 % other workers who didn't file any case against the state govt they are being paid with very low salaries, which has fueled the working class workers (CPI-M backed CITU members) vexed. However, in demand of equal rights they workers have gone for work-strike from Monday.

The workers however also said, ‘As per Supreme Court's verdict Jute Mill also comes under PSU then why we are deprived’.

Addressing a press meet, Jute Mill employees said, “On 25 Oct, 2016 Supreme Court had given a historical verdict by ordering the state govt to pay the Jute Mill and Govt undertaken PSUs to pay salaries on the basis of 1-1-1996 following HC's verdict".

"Eventhough, Govt here had challenged the Guwahati HC and appealed in SC and managed a stay order but at the end SC also repeated the verdict of High Court”.

“With the verdict of SC, all the Jute Mill employees and pensioners now have rights for equal salaries as other Govt employees, but as per the verdict Tripura Govt is now paying only the high salaries and pensions only to the high officials depriving the huge number of working class”, said the agitators.