Tea workers union calls countrywide strike sine die from Saturday

Bangladesh Tea Workers Union has called a strike sine die from Saturday in 231 tea gardens across the country, including Chattogram and Sylhet.

The union urged the workers to take to the streets refraining from working at garden to realise their demands.

Bangladesh Tea-Workers Union’s acting general secretary Nipen Paul confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo around 4:30pm on Friday.

From Tuesday, the workers have been observing work abstention for two hours daily to press home their several demands, including the wage hike.

The workers of Sreemangal in Moulvibazar organised a rally on Friday. At that time, Tea Workers Union organising secretary Bijoy Hazra told Prothom Alo that "We have talked to the workers of different tea gardens. They said they will not join the work from tomorrow, Saturday, if the wage is not raised. They are ready to die to realise their demand as they are suffering immensely in this life of slavery."

"We haven't received any assurance from the owners over increasing the wage. All workers in Chattogram and Sylhet are ready to take to the streets. We will not accept the excuse of the owners. Nobody will be to thwart the movement of the workers", he warned.

Tea worker Rina Kalindi said, "We work hard, but we don’t receive fair wages. The prices of essential commodities are increasing every day, but our wage remains same. We will not join the work if we don’t get Tk 300 as wage."