The daily wages for the tea estate workers have been raised to Tk 170 from Tk 120, a senior official said on Saturday night. Apart from this, the other facilities for the workers will be increased proportionately. Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus announced it after a meeting with the tea garden owners. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting held at her official residence Ganabhaban. Tea Garden Owners’ Association president Shah Alam led the owners' delegation at the meeting. Kaikaus said the daily wages for the tea garden workers have been set by the prime minister on behalf of the workers. She also requested the workers to go back to work in their plantations, he added. Earlier, in the meeting, the prime minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took over as the chairman of the Tea Board in 1957 and granted citizenship to these workers who did not have any citizenship. He also gave some other facilities to the tea garden workers, she said. She said during her 1996-2001 term she gave some other facilities considering the importance of the tea industry. She also said the AL government took initiatives to expand the tea gardens from Sylhet and Chattogram to other places in the country including Panchagarh, Kurigram, Thakurgaon and Lalmonirhat. “They (tea workers) work very hard and the owners earn. It is the responsibility of all to look after their wellbeing,” she said. She said due to the coronavirus pandemic all are affected, but these people who work very hard, have to be taken care of properly. Weeks ago, the workers at the country's 167 tea plantations went on a strike to press for increasing their daily pay to Tk300, given the recent price hike of the essential commodities Read: Who are the tea workers? A brief profile Kaikaus said that in the tea industry the workers get a number of other facilities which are borne by the owners. He mentioned that due to the enhancement of the daily wages the plucking bonus and factory right work income will be increased proportionately. He also mentioned that the annual leave allowance and festival allowance will also go up proportionately. He said that the contributions of the employers to the workers’ provident fund and the annual festival bonus as per the presence at will be enhanced. He also mentioned that the owners give to workers food ration at Tk 2 per head against the procurement cost of Tk 28 per packet. He said that the PM will soon hold a video conference with the tea estate workers to know in details their working and living condition.