Tea workers protest in Sylhet over four-point demands

Tea workers observed a two-hour work stoppage in 23 tea gardens in Sylhet on Thursday (August 27), pressing four demands, including fixing their daily wage at Tk 500 and holding immediate elections for the Bangladesh Tea Workers Union.

The work stoppage was observed from 9am to 11am.The other two demands are the cancellation of the gazette issued in 2023 and ensuring land rights. The workers said the programme would continue until their demands are met.

The workers said they had been agitating over the four-point demands for about a month. As part of the ongoing movement, they began observing a two-hour work stoppage every day for an indefinite period in tea gardens across Sylhet Valley from Wednesday.

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun said the memorandum submitted by the workers had been forwarded to the appropriate authorities. He said the election of the Tea Workers Union was one of their key demands and that the process of arranging the election was underway.

Earlier, on August 9, tea workers staged a protest march and rally in Sylhet over the four-point demands. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner and set a 15-day deadline for implementing the demands. As the demands were not met within the stipulated time, the workers began the work stoppage on Wednesday. The programme is being observed in all tea gardens across Sylhet Valley, including Malnichara, Lakkatura, Burjan and Khadim.

Ajit Roy Baraik, president of the Central Committee of Workers and Tea Workers Unity of Malnichara Tea Garden, said, “Currently, the daily wage of a tea worker is only Tk 187.

It is not even possible to provide two meals for a family with this wage. Therefore, they have launched a movement to raise the daily wage to Tk 500, among other demands. The movement will continue until the demands are met.”

Saidul Rahman Sohel, a worker at Burjan Tea Garden, said the election of the Tea Workers Union had not been held for a long time, leaving many garden committees to be run by appointed officials.

This, he said, was hampering efforts to establish workers’ rights. He demanded that the union election be held soon.

Raghu Das, a worker at Lakkatura Tea Garden, said, “We are now observing a two-hour work stoppage every day. If the demands are not met, a continuous strike will begin.”

The Finance Ministry has allocated Tk 50 lakh for the election, he said, adding that the Ministry of Labour and Employment would organise it soon.

Meanwhile, on August 14, top leaders of the Tea Workers Union met with Labour and Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury over their demands. They submitted a memorandum containing eight demands, including workers’ rights, land rights and improved living standards.

During the meeting, Minister Ariful Haque said a special investigation team would be formed by the Labour Ministry to assess the conditions of tea gardens on the ground. Based on the team’s report, the government would discuss the issues with all concerned and take further action.