‘Suggested minimum wage for tea workers an injustice’

The Wage Board recommendation about the minimum wage for tea garden workers is an outright injustice which reflects making a kind of living that is below the poverty line and is contrary to the achievement of SDGs, according to experts.

They opined that the board advice for the least daily wage ranging between Tk 117 and Tk 120 has been rejected by the labour leaders as well as by the Ministry of Labour and Employment since the amount is much less than other sectors.

The opinion came at a virtual seminar titled “Tea Workers’ Wages: Its Current Structure and Ongoing Challenge” jointly organised by the Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD), Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) and Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union (BCSU) on October 3.

Currently, tea workers receive Tk 120 per day working in an “A” category garden. The wage was decided for Fiscal Year 2019-20 through an agreement between owners and workers.

Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union leader Tapan Datta termed “keeping the same wage for years” an injustice.

“The board intervenes where law does not allow it to do so. It announced the same amount for three years while law says wage will be declared for every year. The board can recommend it for two-three years if both parties (owners and workers) agree to it,” according to the leader.

In his address, Binayak Sen, director general of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, mentioned that the recommended wage is below the poverty line and is less than other sectors in the country.

“Minimum wage in readymade garment sector is Tk 8,000, while in leather sector, it is Tk 9,350. A family with two siblings needs Tk 9,072 if we think about minimum wage perspective,” he gave an estimate.

“On the other hand, if we think about living wage, one person needs Tk 7,750, while a four-member family Tk 14,000 and a typical family with more than four family members Tk 16,800.”

According to Prof MM Akash, chairman of Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka, a reduced wage proposed by the Wage Board is not equivalent of previous wage but lesser.

“The recommendation is less than what the wage earners are receiving currently. The wage needed to increase by 15 per cent if 5 per cent inflation is adjusted each year,” he suggested.

“A tea worker receives Tk 238 in Asam and Tk 403 in Srilanka. Their tea garden owners can meet the wages, but why ours cannot, should be investigated.”

PPRC Chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman emphasised equal development to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“The first goal of SDG is zero hunger and zero poverty. Tea workers’ wage has to be increased if we want to achieve it. The wage has automatically to be revised with inflation, but the board did not do that at least,” he observed.

“The board took the position against the government will towards SDGs. No one should be left behind to achieve the goal.”

Tea workers deprived of law

Workers of every sector get service benefit as per the labour law, but tea workers are excluded from this facility since 2018 when the law was amended, said Uttam Kumar Das, a Supreme Court lawyer.

“All workers enjoy casual leave but tea workers do not. They are out of this facility because of the new law,” the counsel held out.

“A pregnant woman will be entitled to get leave before and after eight weeks of delivery date, but tea workers have to work even before her delivery date if doctor says ok.”

The Wage Board did not work with labourers before making the recommendation,” said Mahbub Reza, president of Bangladesh Tea State Staff Association.

Philip gain, director of SEHD, claimed that the board did not include any suggestion made by different stakeholders.