Stop inhuman acts with tea workers
National Human Rights Commission Chairman Kazi Reazul Hoque asked the authorities of Baikunthapur Tea Garden to stop unfair activities with workers of the tea garden, and urged the owners to respect the workers' dignity.
He said this while visiting Baikunthapur Tea Garden in Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj yesterday.
He said, “They are among the most marginalised and disadvantaged groups in Bangladesh, living in small, thatched-roofed mud houses where they are allowed to stay as long as a family member is working.”
Nripen Paul, general secretary of of Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union, Lashkarpur valley, said they have not been getting their wages for 15 weeks. “What type of justice is this?” he asked.
Swapon Santal, central committee member of Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, said, "Tea workers are Bangladeshi citizens and they have voting rights, yet they are among the most deprived people in the country. A registered worker gets a meager Tk 82 as a daily minimum wage, which ranks among the lowest in the world.”
Ramnath Keut, president of Baikunthapur unit of Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union, said the workers were not getting proper treatment as the lone hospital of the garden has remained closed for the last six months.
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