After Hasina’s ouster on 5 August, top officers from diversified establishments resigned and fled. They contain been once integral to Hasina’s political machinery. Now the establishments are present process an overhaul.
NTCL (Nationwide Tea Company Small) has additionally been impacted by this wheel of replace.
Sheikh Kabir Hossain, a relative of historic High Minister Sheikh Hasina, used to be appointed chairman of Nationwide Tea Company Small in 2019. After the drop of the Hasina-led Awami League regime, many, alongside side Kabir, contain resigned.
This has disrupted the wage processes for the labourers.
Sabita Bauri is a female tea employee at the Patrakhola tea garden in Kamalganj, Moulvibazar. For the past one and a half months, she hasn’t purchased her wages –Tk170 per day – no topic working on a conventional foundation. She has no meals at dwelling and no money in hand.
Better than 12,000 tea employees fancy her work in the 16 tea estates under the dispute-owned company who’re their households’ breadwinners.
Additionally, a colossal half of the employees discover the Sanatan faith and Durga Puja – their perfect annual competition – is imminent. Or no longer it is mute dangerous if their due wages will seemingly be paid before the occasion, let on my own if a competition bonus will come their blueprint.
Meanwhile, one other crew of tea employees in Sreemangal held a snort march and rally on 29 September, with a three-level query of, alongside side the resolution for a day-to-day wage of Tk500.
The dire and ever-lasting working instances of tea employees remain unresolved for over a century. While wage opinions for other labour groups, equivalent to RMG employees, are in motion and rightfully so; tea employees remain overpassed.
The traits of standard-day slavery
The day-to-day wage of a tea employee is Tk170 in this day’s excessive-inflation market.
There are at explain 168 business tea gardens in the country. The total assortment of employees is roughly 1,40,000 — which system, alongside side their households, 5 lakh people are straight dependent on the tea business.
Mohammad Nazmul Avi Hossain, a labour economist, considers it ‘standard-day slavery.’ He mentioned, “Tea employees work for bigger than eight hours a day. And in addition they salvage beyond regular time. Nonetheless they’re paid so minute.
The amount even falls searching the upper heart-profits class poverty line, as outlined by the World Monetary institution. Or no longer it is far a salvage of labour exploitation of the marginal and vulnerable people.”
The system forward
‘Collective bargaining’ is the most necessary tool of wage atmosphere in labour economics. Alternatively, it would now not work in this case.
Or no longer it is upright that a bilateral agreement between the Bangladesh Tea Affiliation (BTA) and the Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union (BCSU) is intended to happen each two years, with wages being certain thru this route of. Nonetheless, there might be politics at play.
The agreement is basically dominated by the householders’ side. Which capability that, the ‘wage bargaining’ route of bears no fruit and stays ineffective.
One reason in the motivate of that is the BCSU’s historic management.
The final election used to be held in 2018. Though the committee must be first price for 3 years as per constitution, essentially the most standard committee people contain been in vitality for six consecutive years.
Elections are no longer being organised reportedly due to an absence of funds. The old Awami League govt additionally confirmed disinterest in funding it as they backed the householders’ side.
Hossain suggested that the govt.’s Labour Ministry ought to play a goal anchor role in the bargaining route of between the employees and the householders.
“There ought to be a contract signed between the employer and employee. Nonetheless in the tea sector, it would now not happen. Alternatively, now not like other casual sectors, the tea business is export-oriented, and the majority of the labourers are everlasting employees,” he mentioned, alongside side “Tea employees are no longer supplied with employment letters [a violation of Sector 5 of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006].”
Hossain additionally highlighted the necessity of enforcing the Nationwide Wage Policy. At the stop of final year, it used to be presented for the principle time in the country, in divulge to envision a assortment traditional for determining employees’ wages. As soon as finished, elements equivalent to inflation, family fees and the capability of the organisation will seemingly be belief of as when determining wages.
Nonetheless there might be a earn. The tea business has to be added to the Nationwide Minimum Wage Board first, which at explain covers 44 sectors. Then the wage protection will seemingly be efficient for tea employees when finished.
Account of a century-long struggling
Tea employees’ tragic yarn of exploitation dates motivate to the initiating of the tea business itself.
Commercial tea cultivation in the Bangladesh bother of British India first began in the Malnichara Tea Property in Sylhet in 1854. Labourers contain been dropped at this bother by British companies from diversified parts of India, equivalent to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and other states, with untrue promises of a wiser future.
Surely, they persevered inhumane working instances and mistreatment by the garden householders and bosses.
Tea employees began protesting.
On 20 Would maybe maybe 1921, thousands of tea employees spark off for his or her arena of foundation leaving their offices, with the slogan of ‘Mulluk Cholo,’ which system ‘return to arena of foundation’ – this later came to be is called the historic Mulluk Cholo motion.
Nonetheless the battle for exquisite wages and a dignified lifestyles continues even this day.
If essentially the most standard day-to-day wage surprises you, it is price remembering that the wage used to be even lower fully a year ago.
Nearly 150,000 employees protested (firstly they observed a two-hour work stoppage every single day but later escalated to an indefinite strike) stressful a raise of their day-to-day wages from Tk120 to Tk300 in August 2022.
Then, at one level, historic High Minister Sheikh Hasina place the wage at Tk170. Nonetheless it took a year to change into efficient. On 10 August 2023, a gazette used to be issued atmosphere this day-to-day wage price.
A allotment of the gazette additionally declared an annual wage enhance of 5% amounting to totally Tk8.5 – probably nothing bigger than a mockery of a marginalised community who contain dinky agency.
This enhance is lower than the inflation price. Based on Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) knowledge, the total inflation price used to be 10.49% in August this year. So, through procuring vitality, their wages are in point of fact decreasing.
Bangladesh Tea Affiliation (BTA) is the fully representative physique of all tea estates of the Elevated Sylhet and Chattogram districts.
“Other folks fully divulge about their wages. Nobody mentions the housing, rations and diversified other allowance advantages they receive,” GM Shiblee, the Chairman of BTA’s Sylhet Division, suggested The Exchange Regular.
He added, “In some locations, householders are even promoting at a loss. We desire to take into yarn their side as neatly. The business can not continue to exist fancy this.”
Nonetheless Part 2(45) of the Labour Act clearly states that housing, electrical energy, water, hospital treatment, retirement advantages, or money the employer locations staunch into a provident fund are no longer segment of a employee’s wages.
These days, we continue to chat about dispute reform over cups of tea. The query of is when salvage we reform the lives of the people who bring us the tea leaves.
