Benefits for some, but what about the rest?

The government has recently started listing beneficiaries for a special programme to improve the lives and livelihoods of tea workers of the country, under the "Cha Sramikder Jibanman Unnayan Karmasuchi" scheme.

While an appreciable step, the scheme leaves out temporary tea workers, despite their number being significantly higher than the permanent workers.

According to the latest data from the Statistical Handbook on Bangladesh Tea Industry-2019, Bangladesh currently has 166 tea gardens in total, where there are 1,03,747 permanent workers and 36,437 temporary workers.

The total tea population, i.e. those who are dependent on the income of the permanent and temporary workers, is 4,72,125.

According to Central Committee of the Bangladesh Tea Workers Union's data, the tea population in the country is approximately seven and a half lakhs.

However, after reviewing the data of 166 tea gardens, this correspondent found that there are no permanent tea workers in many of the gardens, including Baban Tea Garden of Habiganj; Sayilan, Dahuk, Karotoa and MM Tea Garden of Panchagarh; Greenfield Tea Garden of Thakurgaon and Hamidia Tea Garden of Moulvibazar.

This means the government's scheme will exclude the vast number of workers employed by these gardens from its benefits.

Talking to The Daily Star, Koloti Rabidas, a temporary tea worker from Kulaura upazila, said they get no benefits other than the regular wage. "We work the same hours as permanent workers, but the limited grants and opportunities are always reserved for them," he said.

"With the government following the same policy in their scheme as well, our woes keep going overlooked," he added.

The fact that benefits are mostly given to permanent workers was confirmed by Nipen Paul, Bangladesh Tea Workers Union's acting general secretary.

He informed that permanent workers get medical treatment, ration, homestead and provident fund benefits under the scheme, while temporary workers get close to nothing.

"This population is in dire need of these benefits, considering their living condition," added Nipen.

Pranesh Goala, Kalighat's UP chairperson, said, "All voters in this union are from the tea gardens. Each vote was counted to form the current government, but it has only allowed benefits to permanent workers in return."

He added that the new rules are in clear violation of the "Cha Sramikder Jibanman Unnayan Karmasuchi Bastobayan Nitimala-2013", which prioritises worse-off workers.

Md Shah Jahan, deputy director of the social services (Bede, backward and transgender people) department, told this correspondent that they have talked to union leaders about introducing the scheme for permanent workers.

"We know about the issue of excluding temporary workers who are more eligible for the grant," he said.

Meanwhile, Bijoy Bunarji, UP chairperson of Rajghat, said, "The union leaders agreed to the scheme because they are elected mostly by the permanent workers' votes."

However, the union's central committee vice-president Pankaj Kanda told this correspondent that they have not been informed about the scheme.

Shukla Gatuwal, a temporary tea worker who is currently unemployed, said she has not been getting regular work in the post-Covid period. "It would be nice if I could get some help right now."

"Union leaders assured us that we will get benefits as well, but the grants have been reserved only for the permanent workers this time as well. I feel helpless, to say the least," she added.