EARNINGS from tea export have been progressively increasing amid allegations of gross violations of worker rights in tea gardens. Tea workers鈥� union leaders in Moulvibazar demand that their festival allowance for Phagua, a major festival for the tea workers community, should be paid in full and in time. All tea workers are entitled to a festival allowance of Tk 3,713 for Phagua in keeping with the latest minimum wage board award. Some tea estates, however, try to replace the festival allowance with an attendance-based incentive, which is a violation of the agreement signed between the tea estates and the government. In recent times, other similar attempts to delay or withhold festival allowance have been reported. In March 2024, workers of the Kuchai tea estate in Moulavibazar took to the streets protesting at an arbitrary decision of garden owners to reduce their festival allowance on the occasion of Dol Purnima. When the minimum wage structure is considered inadequate, the denial to pay the full allowance in time is not only a labour rights violation but also inhuman.
The irregular payment of wages and employment benefits is, rather, characteristic of the tea industry. In September 2024, about 1,500 workers of the state-owned National Tea Company Ltd rallied, demanding their wages unpaid for three weeks and alleged that their families were starving as the company had also suspended their ration and access to treatment. In July 2023, workers at Imam and Bhabani Tea Garden went on strike with demands that included the payment of their wages and festival allowance, the reimbursement of the provident fund and the ensuring of their house rent and medical allowances. There are loopholes in laws and regulations that allow owners to make such arbitrary decisions and withhold festival allowances or severance benefits. Tea workers do not receive 5 per cent of the net profit of the previous year of the company they work for, as specified in the labour law and the Workers鈥� Welfare Foundation Act. Rarely are any actions taken by the authorities against such gross violations.
The government should, therefore, take initiatives to protect the rights of tea garden workers. The labour ministry should take early steps to address specific concerns of the tea workers of Moulvibazar and ensure a timely payment of the festival allowance. The labour law should be revisited to ensure that owners cannot make an arbitrary decision to deny or withhold festival allowance or severance payments. Tea garden workers should have the right to negotiate their minimum wage and employment benefits. The labour ministry should ensure an effective oversight of tea gardens so that labour rights are not violated.