The ongoing protests of tea workers rang a bell across the nation and rightfully reignited discourse on just how dire the situation has been for the hard-working men and women in this incredibly important industry.
However, there is indeed tunnel at the end of the light for our long-distressed tea workers as the direct intervention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has now resulted in some genuine headway being made in meeting their demands with the daily wage being fixed at Tk170 now, a Tk50 increase from before.
While a direct response from our highest seat of power ideally would not have been required, this is a much-appreciated gesture on the part of the PM that is bound to finally pave the way for our tea workers to be paid their due.
Workers from more than 150 tea estates have been carrying out the strike since August 13. Tea workers are some the poorest and most marginalized in the entirety of our nation, which makes their protest, which invariably affects their income, all the more worthy of national attention.
This is a good start.
Bangladesh’s tea industry is a vital arm of its economic ambitions in addition to being an inextricable part of our cultural and national image. It is incredibly important that the people working in this sector are given their due, especially considering the state of abject poverty that most tea workers are in -- according to a study by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, about 74% of tea workers live in poverty.
We wholeheartedly agree with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in saying that all of us have a duty to look after our tea workers -- from the young men and women shining a light on this issue to the companies and tea estates who are in charge of paying them their wages.
