Cooch Behar, June 18: Essem Jute Industries Limited in the Chakchaka Industrial Growth Centre was shut down by its management today after the workers demanded a hike in night shift allowance.

There were more than 800 people working in the factory.

Manager of the jute mill Kinkar Pal said the employees belonging to a particular trade union had yesterday demanded a hike of Rs 10 in the night shift allowance within 24 hours. They had also threatened the management staff.

According to Pal, the company had been paying the workers the wage and allowance according to an agreement reached between the management and the union. “Since the agreement is valid till 2009 and there is no substance in their demand, we were forced to close down the factory.”

Citu leader Dhaneswar Roy alleged that the management had been playing hide-and-seek with them for the past three months over the revision of allowances.

“It is true that the workers had demanded a hike in the night shift allowance. But I cannot understand why the management closed down the factory without any provocation. The matter has been brought to the notice of Bengal forest minister Ananta Roy, who is from the district,” said Roy.

Niranjan Dutta, a leader of a trade union supported by the Trinamul Congress, however, alleged that the management was in league with the Citu. He added that the wage revision was stalled because of a secret understanding between the owners and the CPM’s trade wing

Dutta claimed that many workers were now deserting the Citu and joining the Trinamul-backed trade union.