The Dhaka Times Desk Anyone who hears such words cannot help but be surprised. Tea workers are paid a daily wage of only 55 taka. What happens now at 55 taka? In the recent times in Bangladesh, the price of goods has increased, nothing can be done at 55 taka.
There are tea plantations in different areas of Sylhet. There are some tribal women who pay the wages of these tea plantations. This is the only occupation of these laborers. But because the wages are so low, those workers have to live an inhumane life.
The plight of the tea workers in Kamalganj was known during the visit to that area. At present, a kg of rice is Tk 35, and the daily wage of a laborer is only Tk 55. With this 55 taka, no one can last three meals. Sunday is a holiday in the garden, no wages are paid for that day. 330 rupees are available in 6 days. This money cannot last even two days. Who have one or two children. How will their family run?
Geeta Rabidas, a female worker at Duncan Brothers' Deochra tea plantation in Shamshernagar. Deoraj Rabidas, husband of Geeta Rabidas said, working in the village, it is very difficult to run the family. I applied for a name in Bagan, but the sub (manager) did not give me the name. While visiting the tea plantations in the open ground and talking to the workers, many workers who were working at a wage of 55 rupees, who were suffering from such problems, expressed their anger.
It is known that on September 1, 2009, the wages of tea workers were increased from 32.50 taka to a maximum of 48 taka. According to the decision to increase the wages of tea workers every two years, on September 1, 2011, it was increased by 7 taka to 55 taka. The tea workers have complained that it is not possible to manage the family with Tk 55 per day due to the increase in the current commodity prices. The tea workers' union started a movement to demand that the wages of tea workers be increased to 300 taka, but the two sides of the tea workers' union, the elected committee and the ad hoc committee set the price at taka 120 and the ad-hoc committee had submitted the demand to the owners two years ago. However, rather than fulfilling the demands of the workers, both parties of the tea workers union are eager to take power. But they are playing an indifferent role in increasing the wages of ordinary tea workers.
Minister of Employment Ministry, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain said during his visit to Srimangal that the wages of tea workers will be increased to Tk 150 per day. But even after two years of the minister's announcement, the tea workers' wages were increased by only 55 rupees in two installments, causing dissatisfaction and frustration among the common workers.
In this situation, the tea workers have sought the intervention of the relevant authorities including the Ministry of Labor to increase the wages.
Source: Dainik Ittefaq.
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