Workers of 18 tea gardens returning to work after 3 months

Workers of 18 tea gardens operated by National Tea Company Limited (NTC) have decided to return to work after nearly three months of closure, starting Thursday (5 December).

The decision was made during a meeting held yesterday (1 December) at the Sylhet District Office of the Labour Department in Sreemangal of Moulvibazar.

During the meeting, it was agreed that on the first day of joining work, workers would be paid two weeks' worth of pending wages. Monthly wage workers are set to receive one month's salary.

"On Sunday, during the joint meeting held at the Sylhet District Office of the Labour Department in Sreemangal, top leaders of the tea workers and officials of National Tea Company Limited decided that tea workers of all the gardens of National Tea Company Limited would return to work on Thursday," said Rambhajan Koir, former general secretary of the Bangladesh Tea Workers Union.

According to the meeting's decision, from now on payments for workers and employees will be made regularly. Employees of the gardens are also set to receive one month's salary by 20 December. 

Additionally, ration deductions will not be made for tea workers during the days of the garden closures.

The meeting further stipulated that in terms of bonuses and annual leave day counts, the garden closure days would not be marked as absences. Remaining pending wages are expected to be paid by March 2025, and contributions to the provident fund will be cleared by 7 April 2025.

This decision comes after tea workers had suspended all work at the 18 gardens of National Tea Company for 12 consecutive weeks due to non-payment of wages. The closure had rendered these government-controlled gardens non-functional.

Syed Mahmud Hasan, managing director of National Tea Company, Emadul Haque, general manager of NTC, tea workers' union General Secretary Nipen Pal, as well as former general secretary Rambhajan Koir, among others, were present at the meeting.