Tea workers’ protest in Sylhet under the initiative of the 10-point implementation struggle committee

sylhetersomoy :: Demonstration organized by Tea Workers’ 10-Point Implementation Struggle Committee on Tuesday (August 22) at 11 am at Amtala of Khadim and Burjan tea plantations demanding cancellation of the gazette published by the Ministry of Labor setting the minimum wage of Tk 170 and publication of a new gazette setting the daily wage at Tk 500. The rally was held.

Adviser Srivas Mahali, Coordinator SM Shubo, Panchayat President of Burjan Tea Factory Vilas Banerjee, Khadim Cha spoke in the meeting under the chairmanship of Sabuj Tanti, convener of the 10-point implementation struggle committee of tea workers and president of the panchayat committee of Khadim tea garden and moderated by central organizer Manisha Wahid. – Bagan Panchayat Committee General Secretary Amal Naik,
Local Union Parishad member Ataur Rahman Shamim, teacher Bikas Bauri, Burjan tea factory panchayat committee treasurer Sushant Chaja, tea worker leader Anita Basak, Kumkum Naik, Madhu Bhumij and others.

Speakers in the gathering said that a notification containing the minimum wages and other benefits of tea garden workers and employees was published by the Wage Board Gazette of the Ministry of Labor and Employment on 10 August 2023. The notification states that the minimum wages have been fixed as per the recommendations of the Minimum Wages Board.
When the price of goods in the market is extremely high, the government has announced to maintain the previous wage of tea workers at 170 taka per day. When the workers of all the tea gardens of the country have been demanding a minimum wage of Tk 500 per day for a long time to ensure two meals a day, the government’s announcement of Tk 170 as before is a farce with the tea workers.

The unilateral decision taken by the government without any discussion has greatly disappointed and angered the tea workers. The government’s decision to increase the wages of tea workers at the rate of 5 percent every year is ill-advised. In a market where the prices of daily necessities have increased manifold, the government’s announcement of 5 percent wage hike every year is extremely inhumane, against the interests of the workers and biased.

The government has repeatedly protected the interests of the plantation owners by overriding the interests of the tea workers. Earlier, the government ignored the tea workers and took a stand in favor of the owners in taking the decision to pay only 11 thousand rupees instead of 31 thousand 500 rupees. But the tea workers continued their agitation demanding payment of full arrears of wages.

After the rally, a protest march went around the main road and ended at the Sylhet Sadar Upazila office. The memorandum was given to the Minister of Labor through Sylhet Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer. Sylhet Sadar Upazila Parishad Chairman Ashfaq Ahmed was present at the time.