Today, in a joint statement, Central President (Acting) Professor Harunur Rashid Khan and General Secretary Advocate Atiqur Rahman gave moral support, on behalf of the Sramik Kalyan Federation, for the movement of tea workers in different parts of the country, including Sylhet, Moulvibazar, and Habiganj. They also said that the tea workers of our country have been subjected to exploitation and deprivation for ages. They have reached the reef, so now they are protesting. We consider each of their demands to be reasonable and appeal to the owners for an immediate acceptance of their demands.
The leaders said that, due to the hard work of the tea industry’s laborers, Bangladesh has become one of the top ten countries in the world. The tea owners became wealthier than before. But there was no change in the fate of the tea labourers. Even in today’s world, tea laborers have to spend their lives as slaves. There is no way that a laborer’s daily wage can be 120 taka in the current market. It is the ultimate manifestation of inhumanity and exploitation.
The leaders said that the prices of all daily commodities in the country had skyrocketed, starting with rice, pulses and oil. Ordinary people are living in starvation and semi-starvation today. But the owners, who benefit financially from them, are leading a luxurious life. These two policies cannot exist in the same country.Our demand is to ensure the profit of the laborers in the products produced by them. A fair distribution of wealth should be maintained in the country. Otherwise, the worker will remain exploited forever.
The leaders Urging to accept the demand of increasing the wages of tea workers from 120 to 300 taka. According to the leaders, the minimum wage for a laborer should be 500 taka in the current market situation. Still, the tea laborers demanded their wages far below the reality of the time. We acknowledged that there is merit in accepting labor demands to resolve the tea industry crisis. So the owners should accept this demand without any delay.
