Tea workers get benefits amounting to Tk 400 per day: Tea Association

Bangladesh Tea Association claimed that although the daily wage of a labourer in tea gardens is said to be much lower, a worker gets wages and benefits amounting to at least Tk400 per day.

In addition to daily cash wages, direct benefits include overtime, annual leave allowance, festival leave allowance, sick leave allowance, provident fund allowance, work attendance allowance, administrative allowance on provident fund, totaling almost twice the average daily wage in cash, the association stated. 

According to press release, numerous benefits amounting to BDT 175 per day are being provided to the workers to ensure social development and civic benefits.

It claimed that 168 tea estates in Sylhet and Chittagong are allegedly losing daily tea leaves worth more than Tk 20 crores due to the recent workers' movement in the full season time of tea production.

To ensure food security, 42.46 kg of rice or wheat ration per month is provided to workers at the rate of Tk 2 per kg through subsidy from the plantation owners, the press release stated.

It says comprehensive financial aid is offered to retire employees through allowance, different labor welfare programs such as clean drinking water, anti-malaria medication, hygienic toilets, assistance during religious and cultural festivals and so on. "Also, after the retirement of a tea worker, other members of his/her family will be employed as a tea worker, which is included in a tea worker's contract."

It should be mentioned that, since 2012, the auction price of tea has increased by 0.16%, but tea workers' incomes have increased by 94.20 percentit added saying that any disruption in production will result in imports and the expenditure of scarce dollar resources at this critical time.