Business Desk :
Greater Rangpur Bidi Workers Union on Thursday formed a human chain in Collectorate Suravi Udyan in Rangpur in the morning to press home their four demands including reducing tariffs on bidis in the upcoming 2024-25 fiscal year’s budget.
About thousands of bidi workers gathered and staged demonstration chanting with their demands there.
The leaders said that there were no taxes on the bidis during Bangabandhu’s era, so the government should cut all taxes on bidis.
They demanded withdrawal of advance income tax on bidi factories, stopping all of low quality cigarettes at Multinational companies and increasing the wages of bidi workers.
The worker leaders submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Rangpur Deputy Commissioner containing their four-point demands.
Bangladesh Bidi Shromik Federation President Amin Uddin BSC, Vice-Presidents Nazim Uddin, Anower Hossain, General Secretary Harik Hossain, Joint-Secretaries Abdul Gofur, Abul Hasnat Lavlu, Shamim Islam were present in the event among others. Addressing the programme worker leaders said, “Millions of workers including the helpless, disadvantaged, extremely poor, and physically challenged and widows make a living by working in the bidi sector.”
