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The wholesale price of tea has increased by only 0.16
percent in the last 10 years. And workers' wages increased by 73.91 percent and
other expenses increased by 48 percent.
The leaders of Bangladesh Tea Association, an organization
of tea plantation owners, have claimed that the tea industry will be under
pressure as the daily wage of tea workers is increased from Tk 120 to Tk 170.
They said, "We have accepted the wages fixed by the Prime Minister for the
greater national interest." However, the tea industry will be under
pressure due to the increase in wages. The only way to survive under pressure
is to increase productivity. For this, they have sought the help of ordinary
workers, trade union leaders and the government.
The leaders of Bangladesh Tea Association said these things
in a press conference organized yesterday (August 30, 2022) at Dhaka office of
Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Police Plaza Concord Tower in
Gulshan of the capital. M Shah Alam, chairman of the Bangladeshi Tea
Association, read the written statement. Members of the board of directors of
Tea Sangsad Saifur Rahman, Ardashir Kabir, M Wahidul Haque, HSM Ziaul Ahsan,
Altamash Hasan, Salek Ahmed Abul Masroor, former vice chairman Kamran T Rahman,
former president of Metro Chamber Nihad Kabir were also present at this time.
After the press conference, chairman of the organization M Shah Alam said that due to the strike of the workers demanding increase in wages, there was a loss of about Tk 20 crore per day. The total loss of the tea gardens in the three weeks of agitation is Tk 420 crore. He also commented that the production of tea will decrease this year due to the agitation.
In the press conference, the leaders of the Tea Association
said that at present, the daily wage of a worker is over Tk 500, including cash
remuneration and other benefits. It was Tk 400 before the wage hike. They said
that a minimum of 8 kg of rice or flour is given as ration to a worker every
week. It goes up to 13 kg per week depending on the number of family members. A
laborer gets a nominal price i.e. Tk 2
per kg of rice or flour. A worker's family gets an average of 42 kg of ration
per month.
In the press conference, M Wahidul Haque said that tea
workers and their entire families also get free health care. That benefit
continues even after retirement from service. Apart from this, since 1939,
maternity leave and allowances have been given to the workers. From 1970-71,
equal wages were paid to male and female workers.
The tea plantation owners said that the yield of tea in
Bangladesh is very satisfactory. Last year, the annual value of tea produced in
the country was 3.5 billion taka. The production cost of each kg of tea is Tk
202, but the auction price is only Tk 200. In the last 10 years the wholesale
price of tea has increased by only 0. 16 percent and wages of workers increased
by 73.91 percent and other expenses increased by 48 percent.
Nihad Kabir said that during the dry season, the workers get a wage of 5,000 to 6,000 taka per month. The daily minimum wage means that the worker will get that money only if he/she shows up at work. At present, production must be increased to survive the pressure of rising wages.
Saifur Rahman, a member of the Tea Parliament, said,
"People eat a cup of tea for Tk 10-20 on the side of the road. From there,
we are not getting more than 40-50 paise for the entire supply system,
including producers and workers. He further said, "We are not able to pay
the workers extra because we are not getting the price of tea. We live in
Bangladesh. Let's go to Bangladesh. As a result, there is no profit compared
with foreign countries. We are behind in many things. But we are trying to
improve as much as possible.
When the journalists asked whether the workers will get
wages during the agitation demanding increase in wages and whether there will
be additional pressure on the workers while increasing the productivity, M Shah
Alam, chairman of the tea council, said that a decision will be taken after
discussing the wages with the leaders of the labor unions. He said that the
methods of increasing productivity are being thought of and the workers will
work for eight hours as before.
|Source: Online/SZK
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