C T Online Desk: Workers joined work on Monday in all the 21 tea plantations in Chittagong, except Ramgarh, Kayachra and New Dantmara , after a long 12-day labor strike demanding wage hike. Tea leaves worth millions of taka were wasted in the trees due to the stoppage of tea leaf unharvested during the peak season due to labor movement.
Besides, this is the first time in the history of the country that the labor strike has caused irreparable damage to the gardens. As a result, garden owners are in fear of production failure. Out of 21 gardens in Chittagong, 17 are located in Fatikchari. The labor strike started in 167 gardens of the country including 21 gardens in Chittagong from August 9 to demand a wage of 300 taka per day .
The strike lasted for 12 consecutive days till August 21 except for the government shutdown on August 15. An emergency meeting of tea garden labor leaders was held under the chairmanship of Moulvibazar Deputy Commissioner Mir Nahid Ahsan from 9 pm on Sunday (21 August) to midnight on Monday (22 August) to implement the directives of the Prime Minister to resolve the labor dissatisfaction arising in the tea gardens in the country. There the labor leaders decided to return to garden at the previous wages with an increase of Tk20 and issued a joint statement in writing.
