Nat'l Tea Company directors gone, 1 lakh workers left without wages
Workers continue strike; production at 18 state-owned gardens suspended for a week
The workers of 18 tea gardens owned by the state-run National Tea Company today continued their strike in Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Habiganj for the seventh day, demanding unpaid wages for the past six weeks.
Lakkatura tea garden workers, who earn a daily wage of only Tk178, demonstrated in the afternoon by blocking the Osmani airport road in the Ambarkhana area of Sylhet city. They withdrew the blockade after two hours and issued a two-day ultimatum to the company.
After the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August, all the directors of the National Tea Company resigned, leading to a stalemate. The salaries, allowances, and wages of all the employees and workers in the company's gardens stopped. The garden workers have been the most affected by this.
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Raju Goala, president of the Tea Workers Union in Sylhet Valley, said, "We have yet to receive the wages of one and a half months. More than one lakh workers are living a miserable life without wages."
Sajib Munda, a worker in Sylhet's Daldali tea garden, said, "Our families cannot survive if we don't get paid. The shops are no longer giving us food on credit. Right now, we are living on scraps."
The worker leaders said they have been protesting since before the Durga Puja, which took place earlier this month, demanding payment of the unpaid wages and bonuses. The authorities gave them the bonuses in the face of their movement, but the wages are yet to be paid.
The workers recently submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner of Sylhet demanding outstanding wages. After that, the district administration provided 20kg of rice to the families of each worker. But they have not received any help since then.
Akhter Shahid, manager of Lakkatura tea garden, said, "Like the workers, we are in deep trouble too as we are not getting our salaries as well. But I heard that the problem will be solved soon."
Speaking to The Business Standard, National Tea Company General Manager Emdadul Haque said, "The management has changed. So, it is taking some time to bring the overall situation under control. Hopefully, within a couple of days, the issue of outstanding wages of tea workers will be resolved."
