Tea workers still on strike

Tea garden workers in Moulvibazar resumed strike Tuesday noon disobeying the decision of the leaders of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union, report agencies.
The workers of 23 tea gardens in Habiganj's Lashkarpur Valley are pressing ahead with their strike to secure an increase in their daily wage from Tk 120 to Tk 300 a day.
In Moulvibazar most of the workers in different upazilas joined work Monday morning upon assurance from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to settle the issue.
Later, a group of workers brought out a procession abstaining from work at noon for raising their wage.
Workers said that they didn't see or hear PM's directive regarding wage hike on television.
"The leaders are asking us to join work in the name of the Prime Minister," said Aban Tanti of Sreemangal Kalighat tea garden.
Tea workers blocked railway track in School Choumhani area in Kulaura upazila and Moulvibazar-Kulaura regional road around 4 pm Tuesday.
The agitated workers stopped the Sylhet-bound 'Paharika Express' train, snapping the country's rail communication with Sylhet for an hour.
Later, they withdrew their blockade after an hour on request of Kulaura Upazila Administration, Municip-ality Mayor, Kulaura Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC).
Besides, the workers in Lachna area of Sreemangal demonstrated on Dhaka-Moulvibazar road in front of Sreemangal Labor House and in various tea gardens including Maulvi tea garden in Samsher Nagar and Kamalganj upazilas.
Santan Raghav Goala, a worker of Sreemangal Khaichra tea garden, said, "Why did we go on a strike for so long if we have to return to work with the previous wage?"
Dilip Bhuiya of the same garden said they will not return to work until PM's announcement on fixing daily wage at Tk 300.
In Habiganj workers rallied at Chunarughat Upazila's Chanpur Tea Plantation on Monday and launched a protest march around 10:30 am to reiterate their demand for a pay rise.
"We have been demonstrating since the morning. Workers from different tea estates joined us. We will continue to demonstrate until the daily wage is raised to Tk 300," said Khairun Akhter, president of a group representing women tea plantation workers.
She hit out at labour leaders for striking an agreement with tea estate owners 'under the cover of night' and asking workers to go back to the plantations for Tk 120 a day. "Ordinary workers demand that the leaders come up to them and tell them to return to work. But they are not facing the workers."
Earlier on Monday, Habiganj Deputy Commissioner Ishrat Jahan promised the workers of 23 tea gardens in the Lashkarpur Valley that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would virtually address their demands before the Durga Puja holiday. But the workers were not swayed by the assurance.
On Tuesday, representatives of the disgruntled workers said they would announce a decision on whether the strike would continue after a discussion with Tea Garden Panchayat Committee leaders in the afternoon.
"Labour leaders reached an agreement with the Moulvibazar district administration in the dark of night without informing us. So the workers are angry," said Chanpur Tea Garden Panchayat chief Sadhan Santal.
Asked about the matter, Nripen Pal, acting general secretary of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union, said, "A group is making these allegations to create instability. I hope to discuss the issue with the panchayat leaders of Habiganj's Lashkarpur Valley and get the workers back to work."
On August 9, the Bangladesh Tea Workers Union started two-hour work abstention a day demanding daily wage hike.
Workers demanded an increase of their wage to Tk300, with inflation rising and the currency depreciating. The workers of 241 tea gardens across the country went on a full-scale strike on Aug 13, after four days of two-hour work abstention.
Bangladesh is producing a record amount of tea every year through the toil of the tea workers. In 2021, a record 96 million kilograms of tea was produced in the country thanks to the hard labour of the underpaid tea workers.
Although two agreements on increasing wages were signed, the fate of more than 1.5 lakh tea workers in the country hasn't changed a bit.