Tea garden workers began an indefinite strike yesterday, demanding immediate recovery of two idols looted from a temple at a garden early yesterday and arrest of the culprits involved.
Around 5,000 workers of five tea gardens–Dewracherra, Kanihati, Dobolcherra, Baghicherra and Shamsernagar tea estates of Manu Valley, Langla Valley in Moulvibazar–went on the strike from 8:00am.
They took out processions and held rallies at the tea estates and gave a 72-hour ultimatum to the local administration to meet their two-point demand. Otherwise, they threatened to launch a tougher agitation programme at all tea gardens in the district.
In a press release issued by Makhon Lal Karmakar in the morning, president of Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union, a platform of tea workers, said the workers of other tea estates in the district will join the strike programme if their demands were not met within the deadline.
A gang of criminals stormed into a temple at Shamsernagar Tea Estate early yesterday and looted two idols from there. Protesting the incident, workers of the garden brought out a procession in the morning.
Hearing the news, Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union called the strike at five tea gardens in the area. “Tea workers went on the strike as local administration didn’t take any step to recover the idols and arrest the criminals as of 8:00am,” said Nirmal Das Painka, general secretary of Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union.
He said the tea workers will continue the strike until the demands are met.
“The workers have enforced the strike at a time when tea plucking season is set to begin in full swing,” said Shamsul Islam, president of Manu valley Tea Sangsad.
Source: thedailystar.net/beta2/news/tea-workers-on-strike-to-realise-2-point-demand/
Tea workers on strike to realise 2-point demand
