Sylhet tea labourers protest 'grabbing' of union office

9 December 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Sylhet.

Tea garden labourers join a human chain in front of the Central Shaheed Minar in Sylhet city yesterday protesting grabbing of the office of central union of tea garden labourers at Srimongal. Photo: STAR

Over 200 tea garden labourers formed a human chain and held a rally in front of the Sylhet Central Shaheed minar on Tuesday afternoon protesting alleged grabbing of the office of the central union of tea garden labourers. Sylhet Bibhag Adivashi Chhatra Sangathan president Mintu Deshwara chaired the rally while central president of the Cha Sramik Union-Makhan Lal Karmaker attended as chief guest Cha Sramik Union, Sylhet valley president-Sribash Mohali, Tribal Welfare Association president Joseph Hawui and BSD's Ridesh Modi addressed the rally. Among others, Sylhet district CPB president Bedananda Bhattacharya and Sylhet Paribesh Andolan secretary Abdul Karim Kim also spoke on the occasion. The tea labour leaders alleged that a committee elected during the care taker government rule was holding its office at Srimangal. But, a local gang with the blessing of some ruling party men captured the office illegally on November 25. The leaders vowed to launch a tougher agitation soon to get back the office. The agitating workers later took out a procession in the city before handing over a memorandum, to the labour minister through the deputy commissioner of Sylhet. In the memo, they demanded immediate steps to free the labour union office from the clutch of illegal occupants and retur it back to the elected body. Otherwise, the workers would be compelled to go for a widespread agitation in the tea sector, they warned. A group of people, allegedly backed by a section of local ruling party men, forcibly occupied the union office at Labour House at Srimangal on November 25. According to sources, the tea sector has been witnessing unrest since a group of labour leaders, back by some ruling party people, forced the elected body out and occupied the labour union office. Protest rallies and agitation are taking place in the tea gardens in the whole greater Sylhet region almost everyday. Of the total 163 tea gardens, 140 are in the Sylhet region. The central body of the tea labourers union was holding a meeting last night to announce their next course of action.