Tea workers divided as PM sets daily wage at Tk 170

The daily wages for the tea estate workers have been raised to Tk 170 from Tk 120, a senior official said on Saturday night, reports UNB.

Apart from this, the other facilities for the workers will be increased proportionately.

Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus announced it after a meeting with the tea garden owners.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting  held at her official residence Ganabhaban. Tea Garden Owners' Association president Shah Alam led the owners' delegation at the meeting.

Kaikaus said the daily wages for the tea garden workers have been set by the prime minister on behalf of the workers. She also requested the workers to go back to work in their plantations, he added.

Meanwhile, a section of tea workers agreed to suspend their ongoing strike after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina raised their daily wage. Another section however, would make a decision after further consultation among themselves.

The general tea workers are satisfied with the PM's decision and they will join the work from Monday as Sunday is their holiday, said Bijoy Hazra, organizational secretary of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union and president of Balishira Valley to UNB.

Mohon Rabidas, convener of newly formed 'Cha Sramik Odhikar Parishad' (Tea Workers Rights Council), said "We have heard the news and will take further decision in this regard after consulting with the general workers."

Earlier, in the meeting with the tea garden owners, the prime minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took over as the chairman of the Tea Board in 1957 and granted citizenship to these workers who did not have any citizenship.

He also gave some other facilities to the tea garden workers, she said. She said during her 1996-2001 term she gave some other facilities considering the importance of the tea industry.

She also said the AL government took initiatives to expand the tea gardens from Sylhet and Chattogram to other places in the country including Panchagarh, Kurigram, Thakurgaon and Lalmonirhat.

"They (tea workers) work very hard and the owners earn. It is the responsibility of all to look after their wellbeing," she said.

She said due to the coronavirus pandemic all are affected, but these people who work very hard, have to be taken care of properly.

Weeks ago, the workers at the country's 167 tea plantations went on a strike to press for increasing their daily pay to Tk300, given the recent price hike of the essential commodities.