The West Bengal government has urged jute mill owners and workers' trade unions in the state for a tripartite meeting to resolve the dispute between both sides, as the latter have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from March 1 over their unfulfilled demands. A notice by the labour department invited the unions to discuss their demands on February 18.

The meeting was earlier scheduled to be held on February 14, according to a news agency report.

All jute sector trade unions, barring the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress, have agreed to join the strike from March 1. Their demands include wage revision and implementation of Minimum Wages Act.

The sector in the state employs over two lakh workers in more than 60 mills.

The jute industry has not seen any major wage revision after 2011. The state government, in the last tripartite meeting held on January 17, had decided to give an interim relief of Rs 70, raising the workers' wage to Rs 327 per day till the new wage agreement was finalised.

The unions, however, felt that the interim benefit was a unilateral decision of the state government.