A protest rally was held at Mirtinga Tea Garden in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar, calling for the settlement of all outstanding dues, including salaries of all of its staff members, dating back to 2018.
The Bangladesh Tea Estate Staff Association organised the protest rally, halting work for two hours, beginning at 10:00am.
Addressing the event, Manikur Rahman, a member of the association at the Mirtinga tea garden unit, said that since 2018, members of the Deundi Tea Company鈥檚 Mirtinga tea garden unit had not received their salaries and other entitled benefits.
As of November 2023, outstanding dues amount to Tk 90,82,000 for the staff, Rahman said, adding that essential utilities, including gas and water supply, had been discontinued for the past seven months, and the tea factory had remained closed since last March.聽
The association鈥檚 president Zakaria Ahmad said that a meeting was held on March 6, where Deundi Tea Company managing director MA Wahid and Mohammad Nahidul Islam, deputy director of the Tea Garden Employees Union and divisional labour directorate, were present.
During that meeting, it was agreed upon that the settlement of outstanding dues would start from March, however, Ahmad lamented that this commitment was not fulfilled.
He further said that a memorandum would be submitted to the deputy commissioner next Sunday.