A section of tea workers agreed to suspend their ongoing strike after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina raised their daily wage to Tk 170 from Tk 120 on Saturday, in a meeting with the owners of the tea gardens. Another section however, would make a decision after further consultation among themselves. Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Ahmed Kaikaus said that the daily wage for the tea workers has been set by the Prime Minister on behalf of the workers after a meeting held with the tea garden owners at her official residence Ganabhaban. Also read: Tea workers' wages raised to Tk170 a day after meeting with PM She also requested the workers to go back to their respective works, he added. The general tea workers are satisfied with the PM’s decision and they will join the work from Monday as Sunday is their holiday, said Bijoy Hazra, organizational secretary of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union and president of Balishira Valley to UNB. Mohon Rabidas, convener of newly formed ‘Cha Sramik Odhikar Parishad’ (Tea Workers Rights Council), said “We have heard the news and will take further decision in this regard after consulting with the general workers.” The movement started on August 9, when workers from tea gardens across 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. Also read: Tea workers continue strike for Tk 300-a-day wages After holding meetings with tea garden owners and other stakeholders in the past two weeks, the tea workers’ union leaders agreed to resume work but that was rejected by the general workers.

The workers of the country’s 167 tea plantations, including 92 in Moulvibazar, continued their indefinite strike for the 17th day Thursday demanding that they are paid Tk300-a-day wages instead of the current Tk120. On Thursday afternoon workers from Dewrachara, Premnagar, Majdihi ,Hamidia and some other tea gardens blocked Berir Par intersection of Dhaka-Moulvibazar regional highway and staged rally for around an hour to press for the pay hike. The workers came to Moulvibazar sadar area from their repective gardens with protest processions, while workers in several other gardens also staged rallies. Also read: Tea garden workers continue strike in Sylhet The protesting workers said they will not withdraw their strike they launched on August 9 until the prime minister announces Tk 300 daily pay for them. However, the district administration and police held meetings with Panchayet committees of the plantations in their continued bid to convince the workers to return to work.   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 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 general workers. Also read: Moulvibazar tea workers resume strike defying union leaders’ decision The ongoing strike is the continuation of the previously declared movement by the tea garden workers.

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.