Tea workers from 12 gardens under the National Tea Company in Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Sylhet district have been on strike for over a month, demanding three months’ unpaid wages and rations.
The workers and their families, numbering around 50,000, are in a dire financial crisis, with many facing a silent famine.
The Tea Workers’ Association submitted a memorandum on Saturday, detailing their demands to the labour adviser of the interim government via Moulvibazar deputy commissioner Israel Hossain.
The DC assured the workers’ leaders that he would escalate the matter to higher authorities.
The memorandum highlights the plight of 11,286 workers and 248 employees from NTC’s 12 gardens, including those in Habiganj, Moulvibazar, and Sylhet districts.
Harinarayan Hazra, general secretary of the Tea Workers’ Association, said that surviving on a daily wage of Tk 178.50 amid rising costs was already a struggle. Without wages and rations, the situation was unbearable.
Vice-president Madhu Rajak added that workers had been protesting for over a month, but the government had yet to address their demands. Despite the crisis, even basic rice rations were being withheld.
According to organising secretary Laxmi Rani Bakti, the interim government blames the crisis on the NTC board’s collapse after August 5, citing insufficient loans from the agricultural bank. However, no steps have been taken to reconstitute the board and resolve the issue.
DC Israel Hossain confirmed that he had provided food aid to some tea workers’ families and pledged to advocate for a solution with senior government officials.
The affected gardens include Surma, Teliapara, Parkul, Jagdishpur, and Chandichhara Tea Gardens in Habiganj; Bijoya, Madhabpur, Patrakhola, Kurma, Champaray, Madanmohanpur, and Premnagar Tea Gardens in Moulvibazar and Lakkatura Tea Garden in Sylhet.