Tea garden workers call off strike after wage hike

Tea plantation workers have called off their strike after owners agreed to raise their daily wage to Tk 145 from Tk 120.

They ended the strike on Saturday, 12 days  after they called it demanding daily wage hike.

Nripen Pal, acting general secretary of the Tea Workers Union, confirmed. 

The decision came from a meeting joined by  Department of Labour officials, owners of tea gardens and workers in Sreemangal.

Workers of tea gardens in Habiganj district were  continuing their strike for the 12th consecutive days, demanding an increase in their daily wages from Tk 120 to Tk 300.

Tea production has remained halted, and tea leaves are being damaged. As a result, tea gardens may incur huge loss, sources said.

Programmes like human chain, protest meetings and processions were continued inside the gardens.

On Wednesday, the Department of Labour arranged a tripartite meeting between owners of tea gardens and workers in Dhaka that ended after six hours without any agreement between the owners and workers.

On Thursday morning, thousands of women and men gathered in front of the Finley Tea factory in Sreemangal and protested by forming a human chain.

Nripen Pal, earlier, said owners have agreed to give Tk 140 per day but we demand Tk 300. The movement will continue until their demand is met.

There are 41 tea gardens in nine upazilas of Habiganj district. About 1,50,000 people live in the gardens, of which 32,000 are workers.