Tea garden workers in Sylhet continued with their strike on Wednesday, the 16th day of their protest movement, demanding revision of their wages to Tk 300 from the existing Tk 120. In tea gardens across Sylhet, UNB found that tea garden workers were carrying on with their movement by staging protests and forming human chains in groups. After a meeting with the tea garden workers' union leaders on Tuesday, the Panchayat heads decided to carry on with their movement until their demand for higher wages is met. Read:Moulvibazar tea workers resume strike defying union leaders’ decision The movement started on August 9, when workers from 241 tea gardens of the country abstained from work for two hours, demanding Tk 300 as daily wages. As their demand was not met, they decided to go on a full-scale strike from August 13. After holding meetings with tea garden owners and other stakeholders in the past two weeks, the tea garden workers’ union agreed to resumption of work from Monday and get Tk 120 as wages for the time being, but that was rejected by the workers. The ongoing strike is the continuation of the previously declared movement by the tea garden workers.

The general tea garden workers and union leaders are now divided over continuing their indefinite strike for a hike in their daily wage to Tk 300 from Tk 120, after the leaders signed a deal with the government at 3am Monday to return to work. Following a meeting held between the Bangladesh Tea Worker Union Leaders and Moulvibazar district administration that started Sunday night and ran into the wee hours of Monday, the union leaders announced the workers will withdraw their strike and return to work with the issue of their wages unresolved, except for a vague promise that the prime minister herself would intervene in the matter, at some point before Durga Puja. However, on Monday morning when two leaders went to call the workers of Kalighat tea garden in Sreemangal upazila for suspending the strike and returning to work, a group of general workers agitated over the decision and allegedly a physical altercation broke out. Similar situations arose in other gardens on Monday as some of the general workers returned to work while others refused to follow the decision and continued the strike. Also read: Tea workers call off strike, return to work with previous wage of Tk 120 Tea Workers Rights Movement President Ridesh Modi said, “Why did we enforce a strike for so long if we have to return to work with the previous wage?” On Sunday night an emergency meeting was held between the tea worker leaders and Moulvibazar district administration, apparently on instructions from the Prime Minister to resolve the current situation. After the meeting led by Moulvibazar Deputy Commissioner Mir Nahid Hasan, a joint statement signed by both parties on five conditions was issued. According to the written statement, Bangladesh Tea Workers Union reg No-B 77 would "withdraw their strike and join work from Monday, keeping faith and trust in the prime minister". Regarding the wage, it mentioned the workers will rejoin work at the current daily wage of Tk 120 for the time being. The union leaders claimed they appealed for holding a video conference with the prime minister before the Durga Puja celebration this year to present their demands through the district administration. The statement was signed on condition of Moulvibazar DC submitting their demands to the prime minister in writing and the tea plantation owners paying the wages of workers forfeited during the strike, as per the prevailing practice and procedures, said the leaders. Nipen Paul, General Secretary of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union, said on August 20 after a meeting with the Labour Department, they suggested the general workers return to work with a hiked wage of Tk 145 and suspend the strike for the time being. But they refused and preferred to work for the Tk 120 wage till the prime minister fixes the final wage for impoverished tea workers. Also read: Tea workers return to strike for Tk 300 wage; block Dhaka-Sylhet highway “We gave the statement in accordance with their demands," said Nipen Paul. Mohan Rabidas, leading the general workers’ movement, said, ”The leaders never consulted with the general workers of the decisions they made or the meetings they held. The leaders are liable for the situation that has arisen now.”

Tea garden workers, who rejected the wage hike by Tk 25 to Tk 145 a day staged demonstrations on Dhaka-Sylhet highway and Airport Road in Sylhet on Sunday demanding Tk 300 as their daily wage. They abstained from joining work as the leaders of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union on Saturday night announced that they did not withdraw the strike upon assurance of a Tk 25 hike in wage. Tea garden workers from five gardens including Teliapara, Surma, Noyapara staged rally at  Jagdishpur Muktijoddha Chattar area of Madhabpur upazila around 11:30 am and blocked the highway, creating a long tailback of vehicles on both sides of the road. Around 3 pm they suspended the blockade on instruction from Bangladesh Tea Worker Union leaders as they assured by August 23 their demand will be fulfilled. The workers from Sylhet valley gardens blocked the road connecting to MAG Osmani International Airport from 12 pm to 2 pm, creating a huge traffic gridlock. Also read: Tea garden workers’ strike not withdrawn: leaders

The general tea garden workers have rejected the Tk 25 daily wage hike fixed by the government on Saturday and vowed to continue their movement for a Tk 300 daily wage. Around 8pm, the workers blocked the Choumuhona Chattar area at Sreemangal on the road connecting Moulvibazar with Dhaka-Sylhetand staged a rally and demonstrated against the decision to withdraw the strike. The workers said they will continue their movement till the Prime Minister gives a proper solution to their wage issue. Many of them refused to go back to work, defying the announcement to call off the strike that came earlier from the Tea Workers Union leaders. Tea worker union leader Mohan Rabi Das, Organizing Secretary Bijoy Hazra were unavailable for a comment in this regard when contacted by the UNB reporter. Also read: Tea garden owners propose wage hike by Tk 20 Workers now want PM's intervention Earlier on Saturday afternoon, after a meeting with the Labour Department, tea workers’ union leaders had withdrawn their indefinite strike after assurance of raising their wages to Tk 145 from Tk 120. After the meeting at divisional Labour Department office at Sreemangal in Moulvibazar district on Saturday, Nipen Paul, General Secretary of Tea Workers Union, said they have withdrawn the strike after getting assurance from the Prime Minister. “Our wages will be raised by Tk 25 and the Prime Minister has assured us that she will hold a meeting after her visit to India. In that meeting we will inform her about our demands. From Sunday all workers will resume their work in their respective gardens,” he said. The general tea garden workers however opposed their announcement immediately and demonstrated in front of the Sreemangal Labour Department office for raising their wage to Tk 300. Md Abdus Shahid, a member of parliament from Moulvibazar-4 constituency who was present in the meeting said, “I have come here today as per the PM’s instruction. The Prime Minister asked to raise the wage by Tk 25 against the tea garden owners’ proposal of Tk 20 and she will hold a meeting with the workers after returning from India.” The Deputy Commissioners of Sylhet and Habiganj districts will sit in meetings with the workers’ union leaders of their respective districts Saturday afternoon. 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. Also read: Tea workers continue strike; tripartite meeting in city Aug 23 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.

The workers of 167 tea gardens across the country, including 92 of Moulvibazar, continued their strike on Thursday as the garden owners proposed a daily wage hike by only Tk 20 against the demand of an increase to Tk 300 from Tk120. The owners offered to increase wage from Tk 120 to Tk 140 at a meeting with tea workers at the Dhaka office of the Labour Department on Wednesday night. Bijoy Hazra, organizing secretary of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union, said it is not possible to meet the expenses of their family with the wages they proposed. “So we want the intervention of the Prime Minister.” A tripartite meeting will be held in Dhaka on August 23 led by the Labour and Employment Minister. On August 9, the Bangladesh Tea Workers Union started two-hour work abstention a day demanding daily wage hike. Read: Tea workers continue strike; tripartite meeting in city Aug 23 Workers demanded an increase to Tk300 a day, with inflation rising and the currency depreciating and they started a full-scale strike on Saturday, 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.

Hundreds of workers of 23 tea gardens in Sylhet observed a two hour work abstention on Tuesday demanding a daily wage of Tk 300 due to price hike of daily essentials. The workers of Sylhet Valley went on work abstention around 10 am on Tuesday demanding a hike in their wages. They also brought out a procession in front of Lakkatura Tea Garden near Sylhet Airport road and formed a human chain there. Read: Sylhet tea workers go on work abstention amid coronavirus fear Raju Goala, president of Tea Workers Union Sylhet Valley, said “We have been demanding to raise our wages for loa ng but no response has come yet. Already the daily essentials items shot up in the local kitchen market and the price hike of fuel also brings a double blow for us. It is difficult for us to maintain our family with Tk 120 daily wages.” The authorities concerned did not pay any heed to our demand for the past two years though there is a norm to renew the contract between two years but no effective steps have been taken yet, forcing us to go for two hour movement, he said. He also threatened to go for a tougher movement if their demand for Tk 300 daily wage was not met immediately.