Sensitization Meeting on tea garden worker rights
On February 19,2025 Ethnic Community Development Organization (ECDO) organized a meeting titled “Sensitization Meetings on Tea Garden Women Worker Rights” in the conference hall of a prestigious hotel in Mirzajangal, Sylhet. The event brought together local Panchayat leaders, tea garden management, the women’s network, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA), labor union leaders, and other stakeholders to address the challenges faced by the tea labor community in their workplaces where discussion took place ensuring a safe and decent working environment for female tea garden workers in Sylhet. Tea garden owners, tea workers, and representatives from various social and cultural sectors participated in the discussion. The event was conducted under the project “Leadership Development of Tea-Garden Women Workers on Their Rights”, supported by OXFAM in Bangladesh and Co-funded by European Union (EU).
The meeting was chaired by ECDO’s Executive Director, Lakshmikanta Singh. Notable attendees included Faruque Mahmud Chowdhury, President of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SUJON), Noor Mohammad Farooqi Siam, SeniorAssistant Manager of Lackatoorah Tea Garden and Mostafizur Rahman, Assistant Manager of Malnichhara Tea Garden.
During the meeting, tea workers voiced their concerns, particularly female tea workers, who highlighted several workplace challenges. These included the lack of sanitation facilities in tea gardens, the absence of daycare centers for their children, insufficient maternity leave, and issues related to low and unpaid wages.
Radhamoni, a SHARDAR (Supervisor)from the Hiluachera tea garden, stated, “Nearly 200 women work under me, plucking tea leaves. Many of them are pregnant and often cannot meet the required workload. When they fail to do so, the supervisors do not mark their attendance, which is a common issue. Additionally, there are no sanitation facilities in the tea garden sections where they work making even basic needs difficult to manage.”
Representatives of tea garden owners present at the meeting acknowledged these problems. Noor Mohammad Farooqi Siam, Assistant Manager of Lakkatura Tea Garden, stated, “We are aware of the various issues tea workers face. We try to address them, but not all problems can be solved due to various constraints. Since August 5, tea gardens have been facing losses. We cannot sell tea leaves at a fair price, and banks are not providing loans. However, we are making every effort to clear the workers’ overdue wages. Hopefully, within a couple of months, the salary issues will be resolved.”
Mostafizur Rahman, Assistant Manager of Malnichera Tea Garden, emphasized that resolving tea workers’ issues is not possible for tea estate owners alone. He stated, “The government must step in, along with NGOs. Media, private development organizations, and other agencies should work to bring these concerns to policymakers.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Zayeda Sharmin highlighted that “These problems are not new; they have persisted for a long time. Only through the collaborative efforts of the government, tea garden owners, NGOs, and stakeholders can these issues be minimized
