Sylhet Bureau

Bangladesh Trade Union Sangha Sylhet district held a rally at Sylhet's historic court point on Friday, September 20 at 4 pm to demand the opening of closed factories and the announcement of minimum wages in line with market rates.

District Acting President of the organization Abul Kalam Azad Sarkar presided over and Joint Secretary Ramzan Ali Patu conducted the rally.

Genneral Secretary Md. Chadek Mia, Jatiya Chhatra Dal Sylhet District convener Shubo Azad Shanto, Sylhet District Collective Workers Union General Secretary Ruhul Amin, Sylhet District Hotel Workers Union Treasurer Sahidul Islam, Sports and Cultural Secretary Sagar Ahmad, Fenjuganj Upazila Committee General Secretary Md. Ripon Miah, General Secretary of Shahparan Thana Committee Zainal Miah also spoke the rally.

Speakers said that during the regime of the previous government, most of the industrial factories of the country, including sugar mills and jute mills, along with agriculture-based heavy industries, were illegally closed and handed over to a syndicate. During and before the corona virus, various factories in the country were closed to protect the interests of looters. Many industries in Sylhet were also closed by the former Awami dictatorial government. Almost all of the country's jute industry, sugar industry, textile mills and silk industry were gradually destroyed.

The leaders called for immediate closure of closed factories and opening of new industries under state ownership and repeal of all black laws and ordinances against labor interests including the Essential Services Bill, enactment of democratic labor laws, free assembly-strikes and free trade unions. They demanded to ensure their rights, form a new wage board for hotel-restaurant workers and immediately cancel the wage board formed by the autocratic Awami government and establish a wage board in the presence of appropriate workers' representatives and set the minimum wage in line with the market rate.

The leaders expressed their solidarity with the ongoing just movement of tea workers and said that the announcement of Rs 8 wage hike for tea workers is nothing but a farce with the workers. The tea workers have been living in the tea plantations for about 170 years and have been able to bring the tea industry to its current position at the cost of many lives while fighting the wild animals including tigers, bears, snakes and leeches. As a result of the tireless work of the starving and semi-starved tea workers, record production of tea has been possible in recent years exceeding the target. However, those tea workers whose hard work is continuously increasing the production and profit of tea are being paid 170 taka per day or less in the current fire price market. A man's three-course meal costs Tk 150/200 in this fire-priced market.

As such, a working family of 6 members does not spend less than 800/1000 rupees a day just for food expenses. However, ignoring the demands of tea workers for a fair wage, by increasing the wage by 8 rupees, the farce with the workers of one of the largest export-oriented tea industries in the country is threatening the industry. The leaders demanded that the tea workers be paid a minimum living wage.