Over Tk 100 crore in provident fund dues of tea workers

The Provident Fund (PF), one of the main sources of future financial security for tea workers, has been plagued by arrears for a long time. Thousands of workers in various tea gardens in the country are facing extreme uncertainty as more than hundreds of crores of taka are stuck in it.

Sources say that although money is regularly deducted from the workers' salaries, many garden owners are not depositing that money in the designated fund. Currently, at least 58 out of 167 tea gardens in the country have arrears of provident fund money.

Tea workers complain that although money is deducted from their salaries at the end of the month, the garden authorities are using it for other purposes instead of depositing it in the bank. As a result, they are spending their days worrying about the certainty of getting their saved money during retirement or in case of emergency.

According to the rules, a total of 15 percent of the money, including 7.5 percent of the workers' salaries and an equivalent 7.5 percent from the owners, is supposed to be deposited in the Provident Fund. There is also a provision to deposit an additional 15 percent as administrative expenses.

Labor leaders say that if this money was deposited regularly, the workers would have received a safe savings with interest. But due to irregularities, they are being deprived of that benefit.

Pankaj Kund, vice president of the Tea Workers Union, said that the income of the workers is already low. Even within that, uncertainty has arisen about the small savings that are accumulated, which is creating a major crisis in the lives of the workers.

Those concerned said that some tea gardens were unable to deposit money on time due to financial crisis. In some places, weak management and lack of supervision are also to blame.

According to the Provident Fund Regulatory Office, various steps are being taken to recover the unpaid money. Some arrears have already been recovered and the urge to recover the remaining money continues.

However, the workers demand that their financial security must be ensured by paying all the arrears quickly, otherwise these working people will face a major crisis in the future.