" Woes of toiling tea garden workers", 9 December 2024

a tea plantation worker in Sylhet, begins her day at dawn, tirelessly plucking leaves to meet her daily target of 23 kilograms. Despite her relentless efforts, her monthly wage barely crosses BDT 5,100

...

Despite contributing significantly to the economy, tea plantation workers continue to face severe wage disparities. Bangladesh has 256 tea gardens, with 168 commercial plantations employing over 103,000 registered workers. In 2021, their daily wage was set at BDT 170, far below the BDT 300 they demanded.

...

Many workers face delays in receiving their meager wages, often leading to protests. Additionally, they must meet stringent quotas, such as picking 23 kilograms of tea leaves daily to be counted as present, or pruning at least 250 tea bushes. According to a survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF, as many as 74% of tea garden workers in Sylhet still live below the poverty line, underscoring the urgent need for meaningful reforms.

...

Tea workers in Bangladesh are stuck in a cycle of generational poverty, struggling with deep economic and social challenges. They live on plantation land but have no ownership rights, which means they have no choice but to keep working in the gardens just to stay in their homes.

...

A fundamental solution to the generational cycle of poverty in the tea sector is granting land ownership to plantation workers. This would provide workers with security, dignity, and an incentive to invest in the land they cultivate. The stability of owning their homes would create a sense of long-term financial security and break the cycle of dependence that has persisted for generations.