BONDED SLAVES OF THE ‘ESTATE WITHIN THE STATE:

LIVING
CONDITIONS OF TEA PLANTATION WORKERS IN
BANGLADESH

SUBMITTED BY

Asfia Islam

Student ID 1301032

Corresponding Address: asfiatowshi24@gmail.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE NO.

1. Abstract 2

2. Aims and Objectives 3

3. Methodology 3

4. Literature review 4

4.1 Slavery and forced labor 4

4.2 Child labor 5

4.3 Exploitation 6

4.4 Gender Discrimination 6

4.5 Discrimination on ethnic ground 7

4.6 Recreational activities and cultural heritage 7

5. Case studies 8

5.1 Selection of Study Area 8

5.2 Economic Conditions of Tea Plantation Workers 8

5.3 Social Conditions of the Tea plantation Workers 9

5.3.1 Working Environment and Living Conditions 9

5.3.2 Literacy Conditions 9

5.3.3 Health and Safety 10

5.3.4 Discrimination and Gender Inequality 10

5.3.5 Forced or Compulsory Labour 11

5.3.6 Child Labour 11

5.3.7 Religious and Cultural Festivals 12

5.3.8 Relationship with Mainstream Community 12

6. Policy Recommendation 12

6.1 Bangladesh Cha Sramic Union (Bangladesh Tea Workers Association) 13

6.2 Tea Garden Authority 13

6.3 ILO and International Labour Federations 14

7. Conclusion 14

8. References 16

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1. ABSTRACT

Tea is the most popular drink in the word, after water. For a number of developing countries, it is an important
commodity in terms of job and export earnings. The tea Industry in Bangladesh annually produce about c million kg
of tea and earns 2000 Million taka every year from tea export. But the workers at the tea plantations are one of the
most exploited workers with working hours ranging from morning till night, the wedgers received being only 85tk
highest. Tea worker communities are one of the most vulnerable people of Bangladesh. They continue to remain
socially excluded, low paid, illiterate, deprived and disconnected. The living condition of the houses of the workers
are to be very subhuman with the usage of unhygienic sanitation. Their allocation is riddled with allegations of
corruption, tribalism and sexual harassment.

Tea workers were brought to Bangladesh from different states of India during colonial period. The process of their
bonded slavery had started back in 1840 and now there are approximately 90 minority groups working in different
tea gardens and tea garden owners intentionally put together at least 20 different communities in the same garden so
that they can never be united and organized.

Tea workers are tussling with each others over their beliefs, rituals and social status. They have been pushed over a
precipice, and now they have realized they have lost their own and have become the bonded slaves for the rest of
their lives. Today they have no land ownership, no permanent address. For reasons like this they can never stand
strongly against the owners. It is said that they have been provided education facilities, but in reality this is only up
to primary education. Receiving only a primary education can never endow one with understanding to defy and
break the century old colonial system. Also unlike mainstream landless people, the workers think stepping and
moving out in cities will not give them any opportunities as they do not know the language of the mainstream and
foster different cultures and beliefs.

KEY WORDS: TEA WORKER, MERGINALISED, COMMUNITY, CULTURE, ECONOMY.

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2. AIMS

The aim is to investigate present condition of the tea workers and to provide better lives by identify the problems.

OBJECTIVES
The study has following aims and objectives:

 The aim is to investigate present condition of the tea workers and to identify the problems.

 To investigate the lifestyle of tea plantation workers and to identify the reasons and solutions of their lack
of knowledge about standard living and sanitation.

 To understand their cultural aspects and find out how they can become more acceptable to the mainstream
through those aspects.

3. Methodology

To analysis the living condition of the tea workers the first thing done is collection of basic data from various census
and other statistics such as current number of workers and comparison with previous years, percentage of male and
female workers, rate of daily and yearly wage, literacy rate, birthrate, condition of their shelter space etc. These give
a holistic idea about their lifestyle also help to compare these data between various tea estates.

Next step is the collection of qualitative and quantitative data drawn from interviews and discussions with persons
with firsthand experience working with tea plantation workers or the estate like Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union
(BCSU) employers, owners and members of the tea garden unit of the BCSU.

The third step is the selection of tea garden, collection of data on the management and policies regarding their
plantation workers through survey method. Then collection of data from the workers from a grass root level. This
process gives an in depth idea about their living condition and culture, their strength and weakness and point on
social barriers.

The final step is the discussion about drawing a few solutions about the improvement of the living condition of the
workers based on the collected data and information. This will give the committees and NGOs working with the
workers grounds to work on. Maybe someday this will help the tea workers to get social exposure and acceptance.

4. LITERATURE REVIEW

4.1 Slavery and forced labor

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Worldwide, an estimated 46 million people are forced to work as slaves. Unfortunately, together with coffee, sugar
and cocoa, tea plantations are one of the products with the highest chance of slavery being involved.

There are several reasons for that. The first is that many tea pickers in India, Brazil and in most African countries
earn so little that they easily become indebted. This leads to a cycle of indebtedness that forces workers to continue
working on the plantation and often leads to oppressive conditions where workers aren’t allowed to leave and kept
there by force. Every year, hundreds of workers die of starvation as they simply can’t afford more food and are
unable to flee the plantation.

Another problem related to slavery is kidnapping and human trafficking, mostly of children and teenagers. This
appears to be a big problem in India. Especially children of tea pickers seem to be vulnerable to kidnapping and
human trafficking. As tea pickers earn so extremely little, it’s relatively easy to take children with the promise of
more food and money. Many young teenagers willingly go with what later turn out to be human traffickers when
they’re promised a good job. Most of these children are then sold as domestic help to families in cities. In Delhi
alone, it’s believed that more than 100,000 young people are kept as domestic slaves. The testimony of the small
number of children that are saved every year tell a story of beatings and abuse. While in these cases slave labor may
not be used at tea plantations itself, the ridiculously low wages do significantly contribute to this problem, as most
kidnapped children come from tea plantation families.

Another form of forced labor is the usage of prison labor to produce tea. For example, in China, prisoners from some
penal camps are forced to pick tea leaves.

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4.2 Child labor

Child labor is also very common on tea plantations. School dropout rates among children of tea pickers in India is
extraordinarily high, as their parents earn too little to sustain the family. Even at schools that provided free mid-day
meals, dropout among children from tea families was high. Furthermore, the high quotas from the tea industry mean
that there’s so much work for tea pickers that they are often forced to bring their children to assist them in order to
meet their quotas.

In Africa, child labor is also common. Research in Western Uganda showed that around 40,000 children worked as
tea pickers there, mostly because of poverty. Malawi is another country where many children work on tea
plantations. This is mainly because of the low payment their parents get from tea picking. According to the United
States Department of Labor, child labor is common on tea plantations in Burma, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania,
Uganda and Vietnam. In addition, a study showed that child workers in Sri Lanka are often subject to physical,
sexual and mental abuse.

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4.3 Exploitation

Even when there is no child labor or slavery involved, the tea industry often isn’t exactly without injustice and
suffering. A World Bank investigation in India found that tea plantations had abysmal sanitation, lacked pesticide
safety equipment and that there was inadequate housing.

Low wages are also a considerable problem. For example, in India tea workers have the lowest wage and worst
living conditions out of all industries. This does not only contribute to child labor and slavery, but it also lowers the
quality of life in many other ways. Tea pickers are often overworked and struggle to meet the high quotas. In
addition, low wages can also cause malnutrition as workers can’t afford sufficient or a wide enough variety of food
to sustain themselves. For example, a study in Bangladesh showed that many workers at a tea plantation had nutrient
deficiencies and parasitic infections related to malnutrition.

4.4 Gender discrimination

Another problem in tea plantations in most countries, from Africa to India and China, is gender discrimination. For
example, in Asia, about 95 percent of tea pickers are women. While some have argued that this can be a way to
empower women as wage earners, gender discrimination means that women have to work extra hard. They regularly
earn about half of what men earn. As women have little opportunity to get other jobs on plantations and often don’t
have much chance of getting other jobs outside of the plantation, they’re stuck doing leaf picking for a meagre wage.
In this way, the tea industry prevents gender equality in order to gain more profit.

4.5 Discrimination on ethnic ground

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In India and Sri Lanka, tea plantations also contribute to discrimination on ethnic grounds. Tea pickers are often
people from a specific ethnic minority. For example, in Sri Lanka, it’s mostly people of Tamil origin and Sinhalese
whose families have often been working on these tea plantations since colonial times. As most of these people work
on tea plantations, they live physically segregated from the rest of society. This also makes it much more difficult
from them to leave the plantation and look for work elsewhere, as they have no social network outside of the
plantations and often face discrimination.

4.6 Recreational Activities and Cultural Heritage

Recreational facilities are very limited in tea garden areas. Most of the people do not have the time also for
recreation. Most of the respondents said that they had to be busy always to earn a little so that they can run their
family smoothly. Ultimately the children become the most sufferers. They do not have any field to play. Habit of
taking alcohol among the tea plantation workers is pervasive although trade union leaders claimed that this habit
decreased significantly due to their motivational activities. Traditionally, garden authorities themselves supplied
alcohol among the tea workers mainly to keep them confined within the boundary of the garden. Now they have the
practice of preparing their own drink known as ‘Halida’. Both men and women drink this local brew almost every
evening. In general, women drink less, through during their festivals both drink profusely. This affects their
productivity adversely. Moreover, it also shrinks their income substantially.

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5. CASE STUDY

5.1. Selection of Study Area

The study was conducted within the geographic boundaries of Sylhet and Moulovibazar districts in Bangladesh.
These areas are heavily concentrated with study population. Considering the different types of ownership, ten tea
gardens have been selected for acquiring primary data. The sample tea gardens were selected considering the
management pattern (government and private companies) and types of the garden. As highest numbers of tea
gardens are located in Moulvibazar district, six estates were selected from this district and four tea estates from
Sylhet.

5.2. Economic Conditions of Tea Plantation Workers

Size of income is the best indicator of the economic conditions of a person. But this indicator can not reveal the
economic conditions of the tea workers properly since a permanent tea worker gets many facilities in kind. Some of
the respondents (workers) do not have regular income. Many of the workers earn on daily basis and a few earns a
fixed amount of money. A plucking worker is required to pluck 23 kg (varies from 18 kg to 24 kg) of leaves a day
and if they fail to achieve the target or Nirik, remuneration may be cut proportionately. If the performance is higher
than target, Additional remuneration (2 to 3 taka (BDT) per kg)\ is paid for additional plucking. Other work is also
target based and remuneration depends upon the performance except factory work, security and domestic work in
managers’ residences. According to an existing contract, a tea plantation worker receives BDT 69 per day as cash
remuneration. This study calculated the honorarium of last month and Found that more than half (55.2%) of the
respondents could earn within the range of BDT 1501--‐ 2000 per month, whereas 33% workers earned less than
BDT 1500. Only 2% of the respondents stated that they received more than BDT 3001 last month as cash
remuneration. It is found that a number of workers have to receive assistance from other family members, including
young children, to fill their targets. It was found that around 14% of respondents took assistance of their family
members to secure their daily remuneration. Around 99% of respondents reported that they don’t have complicacies
in payment and their employers pay the min time.

However a small portion of them (7.4%) noticed that they did not get the full amount of their agreed wages.
According to key formants, if a worker fails to meet target, they may not receive full payment of agreed wages. In
addition to cash remuneration the plantation workers receive a number of benefits from their employers. Around
89% of respondents opined that they receive support like 3 kg rice or flour as ration per week, free accommodation,
and medical services. However, most respondents had complaint against the tea garden authority. They were of the
view that they were being exploited by their employers as their income was not sufficient for their livelihood. More
than 84% of surveyed tea plantation workers stated that their income was insufficient to fulfil their family needs.
Tea plantation workers, who participated in FGDs, stated that they struggle to maintain livelihood for their families
with their low income and most other needs remain unfulfilled.

5.3. Social Conditions of the Tea plantation Workers

5.3.1. Working Environment and Living Conditions

Working conditions affect the productivity of workers. Wage rate and incentives, fringe benefits, working hours,
leave facilities, social and physical working conditions – all these components of working conditions affect the
productivity of tea plantation workers. The authority of tea industry provides each permanent worker with a house.
Their children inherit this house after their death. Living conditions in these houses were found to very subhuman.
More than five people live in a room of only 222 square feet. Cooking and living are done in the same room. It was
observed during our field visit that in many cases, cows and goats are reared in a corner of the same room by
building a partition. Not only is the room small, but its windows and doors are also very small. Most of the rooms

8
have mud walls and straw roof. During the rainy season, living conditions in such houses becomes deplorable since
rainwater enters the room through the broken roofs. Minor portions of the respondents of the tea workers said that
they built a second room at their own expense. It is disappointing that major portions of the tea workers use an
unhygienic sanitation. It is also alarming that about 30 per cent of workers drink water from wells. It was found that
most wells are uncovered. The number of tubewells was also found to be very rare. Female workers complained that
due to the shortage of tubewell they have to walk a long distance to collect drinking water. It is a violation of the
Tea Plantations Labour Ordinance, 1962, according to which the employer should ensure the supply of adequate
quantity of pure drinking water. Only 13.4% of the tea garden households use electricity where 31.5% of the
households use nationally ( BBS-2003). But the tea workers were very honest in reporting that in most cases they
use electricity illegally. All workers reported that they use firewood for cooking. Moreover, their allocation is
riddled with allegations of corruption, tribalism and sexual harassment.

5.3.2. Literacy Conditions

Educational status of the respondents has been found frustrating in the tea gardens in Sreemongal. Education, an
important ladder for transformation of a community or society for betterment is at the root of the social exclusion of
the tea workers. There are schools in the tea gardens. According to the Bangladesh Tea Board (2004), in 90 tea
gardens in Moulvibazar. Given that the employers provide education, the government schools in the tea gardens are
just a few. In the recent times, the NGOs run significant number of primary schools. The quality of education
provided in these schools remains to be a concern. An overwhelming majority of the children of the tea plantation
workers drop out from school. before they can use education to step into other professions and thus they have to
enter the tea gardens as laborers.

Around 60% respondents are illiterate; on the other hand, below 1% have completed above secondary level of
education. It is a matter of concern that the literacy rate of females is poorer than the male adolescent girls are often
asked to look after their younger brothers and sisters, not allowed to go to school. The poor socio-economic
condition of the guardians is mainly responsible because of which the younger children
usually remain away from education. The study also shows that the literacy rate of the Bangalis is significantly
higher than the ethnic minorities in the tea garden .

5.3.3. Health and Safety

Tea plucking is difficult, hazardous work. Workers are on their feet for hours on end, carrying tea-collecting baskets
on their backs; back problems are therefore common. The uneven terrain and sometimes steep slopes on which tea is
picked raises the risks of accidents and as a result fractures due to falling (from height) are quite common. In
addition they are exposed to harsh weather conditions (hot, cold, wet), pesticides, mosquitoes and other insects, and
poisonous snakes. ILO studies have revealed that two categories of illnesses - respiratory and water-borne diseases -
account for 60 to 70 percent of the diseases affecting tea plantation workers. They also suffer from certain chronic
diseases like gastric and urinary tract infection, chest pain, etc. Tuberculosis was also found to be prevalent among
them. The distance from modern health facilities remains a problem for plantation workers. However, these services
range from estate hospitals that are better equipped than state hospitals down to “only” having an ambulance on
hand. They are the most economically deprived and therefore the most vulnerable to disease and ill health.
Malnutrition resulting from insufficient and low-quality food is widespread. As a result, low birth weight is
increasingly a problem in the study areas. The levels for maternal and infant deaths are declining but continue to be
high. Child and infant mortality rates are often more than twice the national average. Many workers interviewed
complained about the poor standard of the free lunch in the field. Most of the management provides the workers
with the dry food, in order to
save the plate cost. The workers, however, claim those foods to be unhygienic, resulting in many diseases among
them. Workers in tea gardens are often isolated from mainstream society and interaction with mainstream society is
very low. The low rate of literacy and poor health status of the workers always stood as major constraints in giving

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them access to educational and development initiatives and programmes of government and other organizations and
in contributing to the productivity.

5.3.4. Discrimination and Gender Inequality

Historically, the opening up of tea and other plantations worldwide has been built on unskilled migrant labour.
Generations on, tea plantation workers are still discriminated against because of this historical context. Most of the
workers of tea plantations for example are from migrant, marginal and tribal communities. This is why they are most
vulnerable people of Bangladesh. They deserve special attention of the State, not just equal treatment. But
unfortunately they continue to remain socially excluded, low-paid, overwhelmingly illiterate, deprived and
disconnected. They have also lost their original languages in most part, culture, history, education, knowledge and
unity. In the labour lines of a tea estate, they seem to be living in islands -- isolated from the majority Bangali
community who sometimes treat them as untouchables. Without fertilization of minds, they have lost dignity in their
lives. These are perfect conditions for the profiteers from the tea industry to continue exploitation of the tea workers.
Deprived, exploited and alienated, the majority of the tea workers live an inhuman life. Another form of
discrimination which can be seen on tea plantations is gender discrimination. Yet in most gardens women do most of
the fieldwork on tea plantations. Women are the favored workers on tea estates, because they are considered better
pickers and are more docile and tied to the plantation (child and/or family care). Women workers are asked for
sexual favors in exchange for favors by superiors, and refusal can lead to repercussions, such as being allocated too
much work or being sent to work in lonely or dangerous plucking zones. The minimum wages of industrial workers
at Tk. 3,500. The tea plantation workers, who got lower wages in cash than this minimum wages. If compared with
wages of the Indian tea workers, the wages of Bangladeshi tea plantation workers is much lower. In Darjeeling,
Terai and Doars of West Bengal in India the daily wages of a tea plantation worker was Rs.53.90 in 2008. The
wages, increased in three steps, will reportedly become Rs.67 in 2011. Strong labor movements have been
instrumental in such wage increase. In West Bengal about 400,000 workers will get this increased wages. Compared
to the Bangladeshi tea plantation workers, the Indian workers also get a better deal in accessing fringe benefits such
as rations, medical care, housing, education, provident fund benefits, bonus, and gratuity. What puzzles one is that
the auction of prices of tea in Bangladesh is high compared to the international auction prices while its production
cost is comparatively lower than other tea producing countries (India, Sri Lanka and Kenya for example). Ofcourse
the productivity of tea per unit in Bangladesh is lower compared to those countries. Many believe that there is no
justification for low wages of the tea plantation workers in Bangladesh. They deserve much higher wages.

5.3.5. Forced or Compulsory Labour

The Bangladesh Labour Act of 2006 states that the total working hours are 48 hours per week but not more than 10
hours per day. For an emergency case, the total working hours can be 60 hours per week but it would not be
mandatory. According to this law, if anyone doesn’t want to do overtime work, they have the right to leave the
factory after finishing the normal work shift. The data shows That the majority of workers (71.7%) have nodire
experience of forced labour, only 26.9% of workers have the experience of forced labour. It is worth noting here that
there is no direct evidence of forced labour in tea garden but indirect practices are there. Every worker is supposed
to pluck 21 to 23kg of leaves per day. If any worker is unable to reach this quantity, the wage is deducted
proportionately. On the other hand, the amount that they earn each day, which is 69 BDT is insufficient to meet
daily costs. They try to earn more by plucking more than the target imposed on them. Therefore, literally they are
not forced but bound to work overtime. Workers are required to be working in the tea garden in order to keep their
residence. Unavailability of jobs outside the garden also forces them to be attached with tea cultivation.

5.3.6. Child Labour

According to national law, children under 18 are not allowed to work in the tea gardens but it is a regular case in the
tea gardens. In this study, only 1% of workers were found to be under the age of 18. However, 47.1% workers have
acknowledged the existence of child labour in the tea garden. It was found that all tea plantation workers were born
in tea gardens, as their parents were involved in working at tea gardens. They consider it as their family occupation.
Children do not work as permanent workers but as a substitute or complement of the other family members. During
peak season, the presence of child labour is more visible. Tea garden authorities welcomes children to come along

10
with their parents to finish the plucking timely. Workers also bring their children to meet targets and to Secure more
income. In some cases children work during vacation and after or before of school hours. Some children are
involved as are placement for their father or mother when they are unable to work in order to secure their residence.
Generally male child workers dig canals across the tea garden, repair the broken road and take care of the tea plants
and female child workers pluck tea leaves. Sometimes female child workers are appointed in the tea industry to put
tea into sacks. In some cases, child workers are appointed to apply pesticide over tea leaves. The work outside the
garden can return more money but an invisible chain confines them to work in the garden. In some occasions,
children are employed to prepare drugs, which are made for the tea garden workers and strangers coming from the
outside.

5.3.7. Religious and Cultural Festivals

Most respondents belong to the Hindu faith, few of them practice Ancient religion, Christianity and Islam. All
religious groups celebrate their religious festivals. They do have separate prayer houses, which are mainly
constructed by employers. Some prayer places are found to be constructed by the tea workers. Cultural and religious
festivals are usually celebrated by the contribution of tea workers. The employers and local government authority
also support workers in their celebrations. In addition to religious festivals, teagarden workers have distinct cultural
festivals. According to respondents Jhumur Nach and Lathi Nach (special pattern of dances) are widely popular
amongst all communities. By nature, the tea plantation workers’ community has a fascination with cultural festivals
and they usually arrange them around a religious occasion. According to respondents, amongst all other festivals,
Durga Puja is celebrated widely in the tea gardens and irrespective of religion and caste, every tea plantation
community participates in the event and dances, drama, devotional songs are celebrated joyfully. Celebration of
birth and death is also practiced widely in the community. Marriage is arranged following the rituals of each
respective ethnic group. According to the respondents, song and dance are part of the marriage ceremonies of any
group in the tea garden community.

5.3.8 Relationship with Mainstream Community

Tea plantation communities work and live inside tea garden areas and are mostly isolated from mainstream peoples’
habitats. They have poor or no connection with the outside world. Out of ten studied gardens, only two were close to
the mainstream community. However, most people in those tea gardens usually avoid going outside their tea garden.
According to respondents, few leave the garden to sell fire wood and to buy groceries. According to respondents,
they do have mixed experiences in their interaction with mainstream community. One Panchayet leader stated that
language barriers, unconsciousness, illiteracy and simplicity are obstacles in easy interaction with mainstream
people. Along with tea plantation workers, a few indigenous 49 groups have been living inside the tea gardens time
immemorial and they are under serious threat of eviction and restrictions. The tea garden authority has labelled them
as illegal occupants. Sometimes the tea garden owners create hindrances in the use of the tea garden road for
communities who are living next to the garden and have no alternative especially Khasi community, which disrupts
between communal harmony.

6. POLICY RECOMMENDATION

The tea industry has good prospects as it has huge demand in the national and international market thus attention
should be given to the improvement of this industry. Development of the Tea industry is important for a number of
reasons. The tea industry generates considerable employment in and the consumption of tea is increasing rapidly. If
the industry gets less attention, unemployment will rise and the Government will have to spend foreign currency to
import tea. It has been observed that the industry is poorly cared for by both the Government and tea garden owners.
In fact, the development of the tea industry is strongly linked to the wellbeing of tea plantation workers’

11
communities. Considering the importance of flourishing tea industry in Bangladesh, the study recommends
following interventions by respective stakeholders:

6.1. Bangladesh Cha Sramic Union (Bangladesh Tea Workers Association)

 Tea plantation workers should be organized and they should raise their voices against a form of Violation
of rights in the workplace. BCSU can provide training to Pancheyet leaders as well as general workers
about existing labour laws. They also can connect their people with government support and services.
 Service providers and local representatives complain the tea workers are not self--‐ motivated and do not
show their willingness to participate in development activities run by the Government or NGOs. They
should send their children to school and participate in water, sanitation and hygiene activities of the
Government and NGOs. They need to be motivated to raise their issues in at a national level. Tea plantation
workers are poorly remunerated but it can only be possible to increase remuneration if their productivity is
increased. Workers should feel a sense of ownership, which can be achieved by the Motivational role of
BCSU.
 Educated members should be included in the union leadership and their efficiency should be increased
through training and workshops. The leadership should be accountable to all members. BCSU can lobby
with national and international organizations who are working for labour rights to increase workers’
capacity. They can also arrange dialogue between the tea garden authority, tea garden workers and civil
society to create awareness amongst all stakeholders.
 Internal conflicts should be resolved amongst the tea union leaders. An advisory board should be comprised
of educated descendants of tea plantation workers, who have strong emotional attachment and commitment
to their communities. They should be more aware of the rights of tea plantation workers and should work as
bridge between management, the Government and tea plantation workers. Their activities should be
transparent, accountable and focused on tea garden workers. The functions of the labour house should be
strengthened so that it can be a welfare center for workers.

6.2. Tea Garden Authority

 Tea garden authorities should focus on investing to increase tea production through the extension of new
plantations. Cultivable land under the possession of tea workers which was allocated for cultivation should
not be taken for the expansion of tea plantations.
 Tea garden management should strictly follow labour laws. Wages and labour benefits should be provided
according to the labour law. Improvement of educational and health care facilities should be given higher
priority to create a sustainable, enabled community.
 Tea garden management should arrange monthly meetings with tea workers, to enhance better
communication workers and the management. Child labour should be restricted and children should not be
engaged to work in any capacity so that they can get an education. Educated members of workers’ families
should Be given the opportunity to engage in tea garden work, which uses their academic qualification. The
tea garden authority can make provision for sharing profits with tea plantation workers, which could create
a sense of ownership amongst workers.
 Childcare facilities should be available in all tea gardens. Tea garden workers must be comfortable to send
their babies to the creche in order to set up creches.
 There are a few services are available, such as training for worker leaders by the Department of Labour and
Welfare, education, water, sanitation and hygiene by NGOs. However, workers have limited access to those
services due to the restrictions of the tea garden authority. Access to these services should be ensured.

6.3. ILO and International Labour Federations

 Social dialogue between the employers and the workers may allow workers to voice their concerns and
could be effective in achieving their rights.

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  ILO and international trade union federations can arrange training sessions and provide logistical support to
tea garden workers’ unions to increase capacity building.
 ILO can support the Government in adopting policies which protect and promote labour rights of workers
and in implementing labour laws.

7. CONCLUDING REMARKS

In their harsh reality, the tea plantation workers still have dreams and want change their lives. Both tea workers and
union leaders are of the view that education is the fundamental for bringing change to the community. All of them
showed deep interest in education and want to see their children educated and engaging in employment other than as
tea garden labourers. A good number (46.1%) of them expect that their children will be educated and will take up
employment in the tea gardens. Most respondents complained that despite being educated, tea plantation workers’
children do not get official jobs in the garden even though they were capable of holding such jobs. A few (4.4%)
also believe that their educated children will work outside the garden. Around 41.1% of respondents opined that tea
garden work has become less attractive due to poor remuneration therefore members of their community should be
engaged in multiple activities both inside and outside the garden. A small section of respondents (3.4%) were
frustrated and thought that due to not having an education, they and their children will have to engage in work at the
tea gardens. However, almost all tea plantation workers wished to maintain a connection with tea gardens somehow
as It provides housing facility free of. Leaders in the tea labourers’ community as well as survey respondents
claimed that their members survive in the garden as they do have ration facility, free housing as well as sometimes
pieces of cultivated land leased from the tea garden authority. Tea garden workers do not have sufficient
opportunities for education and do not have required skills to engage in occupations outside the tea industry. Their
ethnic identity, culture and languages are disappearing. There are tea plantation workers who live in the same homes
as their ancestors but are denied from its ownership. Their cultivable lands are being grabbed or occupied by tea
garden owners and the Government in the name of extension of garden area or in the name of a forestation or any
other development activities and many of their community members are being evicted from the land. The leaders
amongst tea garden workers are not capable participating in a collective bargaining process with management. On
many occasions, their leaders are busy with their own interests and do very little for general workers. Human rights
activists, journalists, civil society groups and researchers give poor attention to the plight of the tea labourers’
community and their active role could help in establishing the rights of poor tea plantation workers. It was also
found that the workers sometimes engage in unruly behavior with the support of external people, which disrupts the
working environment in the garden. Some tea plantation workers cut down shed trees and steal fertilizers, which
reduces productivity in the garden. There is plenty of opportunity for government officials of the Department of
Labour to play their significant role to build the capacity of the tea union leaders and employers to resolve their gaps
and disputes for the better of the tea industry. The overall findings of the study suggest that the situation of tea
plantation workers needs to be improved and that their rights should be protected based on the mutual agreement
amongst tea plantation workers, garden owners and the Government. Researchers, civil 57 society actors, service
provider sand international agencies like the ILO can contribute with their own capacities.

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8. REFERENCES
ALAM, AFM. (1998), Glimpse on Bangladesh Tea and BTRI, Srimangal, Moulvibazar

Annual Report 2015, Bangladesh Economic Association, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2015), Statistical Yearbook of Bangladesh

BARKAT, ABDUL ET AL. (2010), Assessment and Situation of Children and Women in the Tea Gardens of
Bangladesh

BRAC (2016), An Enquiry into Living Conditions of Tea Garden Workers of Bangladesh: A Case Study of Khan
Tea Estate

DAS, TULSHI KUMAR AND ISLAM, S. M. ZAKIRUL (2006), Human Rights of the Tea Gardeners: Case study
of selected gardens in Sylhet.

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Dhaka Tribune, Tea Garden Workers are the Marginalised of the Marginalised,
https://www.dhakatribune.com/magazine/arts-letters/2018/02/03/tea-garden-workers-marginalised-marginalised?
fbclid=IwAR2CMopjDBjShMcLNEg9QTp2vL5CIpjFHnonj59eox0fyhK0CmFQ3rCVsMA

International Labor Organization, A study Report on Working Condition of Tea Plantation workers in Bangladesh

MAJUMDER, SHAPAN CHANDRA AND ROY, SANJAY CHANDRA (2012), Socio-economic Condition of Tea
Plantation Workers in Bangladesh: A Case Study on Sreemangal

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