Government urged to take steps to increase wages of tea workers

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Speakers at a book launching ceremony urged the government to take proper steps for increasing the wages of tea workers to help improve their poverty-stricken life, reports UNB.
They said the maximum daily wage of a tea worker at present is Tk 48 while it was Tk 38.5 in 2008. The amount is too small for them to maintain their lives considering the price-hike of essentials.
Earlier, Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud formally launched the book titled 'The story of tea workers' at the National Press Club in the city Thursday.
Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD), a non-government organisation, published the book focusing the untold sufferings and way of life of the tea workers, who are working at the tea gardens in greater Sylhet region.
Chaired by SEHD Chairman Shakhawat Ali Khan, the function was addressed, among others, by eminent economist Wahiduddin Mahmud, Nijera Kori Coordinator Khushi Kabir, Amena Mohsin of International Relations Department of Dhaka University, Chairman of Minimum Wage Board Ikteder Ahmed, member of Bangladesh Tea Association (BTA) M Shah Alam, labour leaders Tapon Dutta and Ranbhajan Koiri.
Speaking on the occasion, Wahiduddin Mahmud said fate of the tea workers remained unchanged till now despite two major historical changes- partition of India in 1947 and the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
"The tea workers never raised their voice to uphold their rights because of their peaceful nature, poverty and social alienation. As they are not involved in politics, they failed to raise voices for winning their rights," he said.