Tea workers protest in Dhaka for wage hike

Tea estate workers have demonstrated outside the Department of Labour in Dhaka to press home a series of demands, including a minimum daily wage of Tk 500 and back pay.

Around 80 tea workers marched to Sram Bhaban on Rokeya Avenue and staged a sit-in until 1 pm on Sunday.

"Tea workers did not accept the [government's] decision to pay a lump-sum amount of Tk 11,000 as outstanding wages. Even after seven months, no agreement has been reached on a new wage structure for 2023-24," said Sabuj Tanti, a protest leader.

During the demonstration, representatives of the protesting tea workers went inside the building to meet with the director general of the labour department to discuss their demands.

“The director general was not there. But there was another official. He asked us to form a full-fledged committee,” said Tanti.

In August 2022, tea workers enforced a 19-day strike for an increase in their daily wages from Tk 120 to Tk 300. They later went back to work after the authorities raised their daily wage by Tk 50 to Tk 170 on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's orders.

Later on Mar 1, the labour department announced that the workers would each be paid Tk 11,000 in three instalments as outstanding wages.

"According to our calculations, each tea worker is entitled to more than Tk 30,000 in arrears. But nothing was mentioned in the labour department's notice about why the dues would not be paid in full,” said Tanti.

On why they have renewed their demand for a wage hike, Satyajit Urang, another leader of the protesting tea workers, said, "Now, they are paying us a daily wage of Tk 170. But that's not worth much in light of the spiralling prices of goods. That's why we want a daily wage of Tk 500."