With a future looking bleak, they want immediate and full payment of the wages for days of sweated labour.

The mills authorities put up the notice on the bulletin board at the factory's main entrance at 10:27 last night.

The notice says the shutdown took effect from one past zero hour on July 31 as per the directives of the jute and textile ministry and the fax received on July 25 from the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation.

The decision has been taken under section 12(1) of article 42 of the Bangladesh Labour Law, 2006, it continues.

Measures would have been taken as per the rules of the Labour Law 2006.

Besides, another notice posted on the board at the same time says that as part of retrenchment the last 35 employees and labourers of the factory have been laid off.

Earlier in the afternoon, the workers crowded the factory entrance after hearing that the mill might be shut down. But they found no official notice of closure then.

"I heard that the mill (PJML) will be closed today, but I do not know what would happen to my Tk 2.50 lakh in back pay," said Delwar, a worker of the mill, to whom PJML owes last eight months' salary.

Ruhul Amin, a security guard of the mill, said, "As far as I know, the factory will be closed today and we have been ordered not to allow anyone inside the factory."

PJML operations had been suspended since July 10.

Rapid Action Battalion personnel were seen guarding the entrance of the factory in the morning.

Most business establishments including food stores in the area were found closed yesterday. PJML workers used to make purchases at these businesses on credit. These businesses are feared to go bankrupt if the workers fail to pay back their dues.

PJML was established in 1952 on 71 acres of land. It went into production in 1954. The mill currently has 894 looms and it employed 3,011 labourers, 325 employees and 55 officers. Almost all of the labourers were laid off on July 11 through a notice.

The factory owes near about Tk 63.41 crore to its labourers and employees while Tk 77.63 lakh to its officers in arrears. It also owes Tk 34 crore to retired employees. Its unpaid gratuity is Tk 28 lakh while unpaid provident fund is Tk 56 crore.

Deputy general manager of PJML, Mahbub Alam, was not available in his office yesterday afternoon and he could not be reached over telephone for comments either.

On April 19, workers were laid off at three other jute mills. These are Crescent Jute Mills Ltd, Platinum Jubilee Jute Mills Ltd and Star Jute Mills Ltd.

The three mills resumed operations partially in early July. Since then, around two thousand more labourers were laid off from these mills.

With the closing of PJML, the number of jute mills closed in the area will be two. Earlier on December 7, 2002, Daulatpur Jute Mills in Khalishpur was closed.