'Accept tea workers’ demand for Tk300 daily wage'
The leaders of nine organisations have issued a joint statement urging the government to meet tea workers' demand for a daily wage of Tk300.
They made the call a day after the prime minister determined the wage to Tk170 from Tk120, following a meeting with tea garden owners at the Ganabhaban in the capital.
"A daily wage of Tk170 is not enough compared to the current market rate of daily essentials," read the statement issued Sunday (28 August).
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They said the demand for a daily wage of Tk300 for which tea workers had been in protest since 9 August was still lower than they deserve.
Conveying surprise, they stated that the head of the government met with the owners of 13 tea gardens and determined the wages, but did not meet with the agitating workers.
The workers' voices have been ignored in determining the wage, they claimed in the statement.
The signatories of the statement are President of New Democratic People's Front Zafar Hossain, coordinator of the Bangladesh Communist Movement Shubrangshu Chakraborty, National Liberation Council Secretary Faizul Hakim, National People's Front Coordinator Tipu Biswas, National Liberation Union convener Nasiruddin Ahmed Nasu, National Democratic Union, Ganamanch president Masud Khan, BSD (Mahbub) convenor Santosh Gupta, Samajtantrik Party of Bangladesh Sarwar Murshed and Communist Union convener Imam Ghazzali.
