Pay tea workers on time

A poet once wrote: “Tea leaves are stained with the blood of the workers, so when soaked in hot water, the tea turns red." We know the plight of tea garden workers. They cannot survive on the money they earn by working all day. Their wages are very low compared to their needs. Even then, many workers do not get regular salaries. Therefore, tea workers of the National Tea Company (NTC) have been protesting for a month demanding payment of their arrears.

According to news published in the media on Tuesday (December 3), after observing a strike for 42 days, tea workers of the state-owned National Tea Company (NTC) have promised to join work on the condition of receiving their dues. They have also announced the withdrawal of the strike. Workers of 16 tea gardens of the NTC in the country had started the strike since October 21.

The long-standing agitation was resolved on Sunday (December 1) through tripartite discussions initiated by the Sylhet Divisional Labor Department. After the discussion held from 2 pm to 6 pm, the workers promised to join work from December 5 after getting their dues. Later, Deputy Director of the Divisional Labor Department Mohammad Nahidul Islam read out the decisions taken at the discussion meeting.

According to the information received, of three-month dues, the officials and employees will be paid one month's arrears by December 20. In addition, Managing Director Syed Mahmudul Hasan assured that if the workers raise their demand for the six weeks' salary while they were on strike, a decision will be taken after discussing it with the Tea Board authorities.

The question is, why are the salaries of the workers, who almost earn a living every day, being kept undue? Syed Mahmudul Hasan said: "We have had a crisis since Covid pandemic. The production cost of tea is increasing, and the price has not been found in the comparative market. As a result, the company has been in loss. In the meantime, we are in even more trouble due to the change of the government. We are struggling to pay our wages as we have not received any loans from the bank. We are trying to overcome the crisis in a short time.”

Not only tea plantation companies, but many companies do not pay their workers regularly on the pretext of increasing production costs. Such allegations are also made against garment factories; but the owners never seem to be in crisis. They live their luxurious lives. So why are they so stingy in paying their workers’ wages? Especially those who earn their living day by day? Since the British era, the tea plantation workers of our country have been victims of neglect and deprivation.

We hope that the tea plantation workers of Bangladesh are being paid on time. When the tea we drink every day is laced with the blood, tears, and sweat of workers - when we learn that those workers are living inhumane lives, then, in the words of the poet: "When I think of the neglected tea garden workers, I feel like I'm not drinking tea, but the blood of the workers."