C T Online Desk: Most of the garden tea workers of the Moulvibazar district resumed their work on Sunday, welcoming the decision to fix the wage of Tk170 fixed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
However, many plantation workers did not go to work as it was a weekend.
The laborers were seen working frantically in the tea plantations of Khairaura, Bharaura, Khaichra of Srimangal upazila.
Noor Mohammad, president of the Panchayat Committee of Bharaura Tea Garden, said: “As the prime minister fixed the new daily wages, I have sent the tea workers to join the work in the garden. They are now happily working.”
“We are happy that honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has determined the wage of Tk170 by analyzing all aspects of saving the workers, saving the owners and saving the garden. We have thanked the prime minister on behalf of Finlay Garden,” he added.
Maina Hazra, a worker of the tea garden, said: “I feel a lot of joy today. I was sitting at home for so long. I used to eat only one meal a day. But now, I can have three meals. All thanks to Sheikh Hasina.”
Other tea workers echoed the same appreciation towards the premier for fixing the raised wage.
On Saturday evening, the protesting tea workers across the nation accepted the new daily wage of Tk170 fixed by the prime minister.
Confirming the matter to Dhaka Tribune, Nripen Pal, general secretary of the central committee of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union, said: “We got what we wanted.”
Earlier in the evening, the daily wage for tea workers was fixed at Tk170 after weeks of protest.
The Tk50 increase was fixed in a meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the 13-member delegation of tea garden owners in Ganabhaban.
The workers of the country’s 167 tea plantations, including 92 in Moulvibazar, continued their indefinite strike for the 18th day until Saturday demanding that they are paid Tk300-a-day wages instead of the current Tk120.
The movement started on August 9, when workers from 241 tea gardens of the country abstained from work for two hours, demanding Tk300 as daily wages. As their demand was not met, they decided to go on a full-scale strike from August 13.
