Tea Industry: Bonanza for Owners, Misery for Workers –  Md. Ashraful Haque

“The labor law itself is at the roots of deprivations of tea workers,” said Ram Bhajan Kairi, in a residential workshop organized by the Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD). The four-day training workshop titled, “Rethinking Rights of Tea Workers” was held in Komolganj, Moulvibazar from 8 to 11 February. Thirty-five participants, most of them youths from the tea workers’ communities, joined the workshop. Thirteen ethnic communities were represented at the workshop.

The prime objective of the program was to enhance participants’ capacity to write reports and take part in research on issues regarding tea workers and their communities.

Kairi, a labor leader and a staff of SEHD said, according to the law, workers of all industries are entitled to 10 days of casual leave, which is not applicable to tea workers. Besides, tea workers enjoy one day of annual leave for every 22 days of work while workers of other industries get one  day leave against every 18 days work.

Kairi also pointed out that legal remedy to tea workers deprivations have tactfully been kept away from them. “A worker has to go to the labor court located in Chittagong in case of a legal fight, which is nearly impossible for a low-paid labor,” he said. “Neither political leaders nor the state cares about the systematic deprivation of tea workers. It is very shameful that the government is not holding elections for such a big trade union as tea workers’,” deplored Kairi. Other labor leaders including Parimal Sing Baraik also reiterated the call to end tea workers’ ordeals.

While the labor law is discriminatory in the case of the tea workers, the owners ignore their legally binding essential obligation. To illustrate owners’ neglect Delwar Hossain, labour inspector (general) Sylhet Division said, “What we find in the tea garden is that the owners do not issue appointment letter to the workers. This is violation of law and we are now asking the management to issue proper appointment letter.”

The management response with regard to issuing of appointment letter to the workers is that they would raise the matter at the upper level. “We have taken some measures (cases) in this regard. We have fined three managers so far,” informed the labor inspector who also makes it a point that according to law, a worker shall be made permanent within six months of his/her appointment. But in the case of tea workers they are not made permanent within the period.

The participants, government officials, tea community leaders, researchers and tea garden officials shared their insights and opinions in the program based on their engagement with tea communities and the tea industry.

Beside sharing information with others and learning from avid researchers, participants received hands-on experience in conducting focus group discussion (FGD), face-to-face interview, and writing case studies in the unique training. Each of them was grouped with a small team that visited a couple of labor lines in five tea gardens. Every team conducted a FGD with Panchayet (an elected body of representatives of tea workers to look after various issues of a labor line) members and filled in a questionnaire that was designed to collect data on socio-economic status and ethnic composition of tea communities. Each participant also interviewed at least one tea worker and wrote case studies on issues ranging from health to education, livelihood to landlessness.

Mohammad Giashuddin, deputy director of labor (DDL) of Department of Labour, while describing the structure and functions of the departments of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, put forward some of his observations on the rights of tea workers. He said that the labor law ensures many rights to the tea workers, but those are not implemented. The workers lead a very hard life. Scarcity of clean drinking water, insufficient sanitation and housing etc characterize the labor lines.

“The tendency to deprive the tea workers is a legacy of British companies that brought the workers in promising good fortune, but deceived them,” opined Giashuddin who partially blamed the deprivation of workers on garden authority. “Tea garden managers earn a good sum of money in many ways, but they do not know laws,” he observed. However, he held the labor leaders’ failures to press their demands ultimately responsible for the labors’ deprivations. “There are hardly any cases filed against the owners,” he said.

The session at this point became vibrant as a participant threw a question to DDL, “While the elected representatives of tea workers union are driven out of labor house [the trade union office], and the government has kept the house under lock and key, where will the workers go to claim their rights?” It can be mentioned here that the first ever trade union elections for the tea workers took place in 2008. But in 2009 the elected trade union officials were removed from office by force and a government-backed ad-hoc committee was installed in their place. Later in the face of a spontaneous country-wide strike of tea workers, Awami League government emptied the house and promised fresh elections. That election is yet to be held.

In response to such query DDL confessed his limitations as a government official and said that he would hold elections if directed by the government.

Prakash Kanti Chowdhury, ADC (revenue), Moulvibazar said that the condition of tea workers and their community is improving.  At least 40 schools have been established in the tea gardens in Moulvibazar district since 2010. Not all the gardens have satisfactory health, education and housing facilities, but the government is monitoring these issues. “There was a time when we (administrative officials) hardly met any garden manager, but now as they have to come to us for renewal of lease deeds, we have a chance to look into the facilities they provide for workers,” said the ADC. “In the proposed tea policy 2012, we have recommended that the tea garden authority provides a spacious house with at least two rooms and a veranda as well as sufficient health, sanitation and education facilities,” he added.

In answer to a query from a participant whether the government ever had a policy discussion over giving tea workers legal rights and ownership on the land they are living in for more than one and half century, Mr. Chowdhury said that a inter-ministerial body comprising the ministry of land, ministry of labor and other line ministries will need to sit together to decide on that.

Reacting to such question, Robiul Hasan, Manager, Kalindi tea garden feared that if tea workers are given ownership to land, they will stop working for the tea industry. He claimed that tea community is doing much better than earlier times. “Soon there will be time when no illiterate person will be left in tea gardens,” asserted Hasan.

Md. Haroon-Or-Rashid Sarker, director, Project Development Unit (PDU), Bangladesh Tea Board said that the owners of tea gardens make high profit. He opined that if the owners of tea gardens spend more from this huge profit for the workers, it will benefit the industry itself in the end. “The ration provided to the workers is of inferior quality. If the workers are sick all the time, it hampers production. These problems can be solved easily,” Rashid said.

The training workshop designed to share tools for rethinking rights, justice, developing minds among the tea workers in particular was moderated by Philip Gain. To prepare the participants for hands on training Dr. Tanzimuddin Khan, associate professor of Dhaka University, this writer and Philip Gain talked on Focus Group Discussion (FGD), case studies, survey, and applied research techniques.

The training ended on 11 February with participants going back to their communities with confidence and profound enthusiasm to continue writing and reporting various issues of tea communities.

Writer is Research and Documentation Officer at Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD).

 “Many ethnic communities of Bangladesh are
constitutionally and statistically invisible”
—Says Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman at a seminar

Guests at the seminar (sitting from left) Prof. Rafiqul Islam, Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Prof. Sakhawat Ali Khan, Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Leonard Zilstra, and Philippe JACQUES. Photo. Md. Saydur Rahman

Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman, Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC) said that many of the ethnic communities of Bangladesh are invisible, both constitutionally and statistically. “This invisibility must be dispelled so that they can raise their voices and claim their rights,” he suggested in a day-long inception seminar on “Mapping and capacity building of tea workers and little-known ethnic communities of Bangladesh” organized by The Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) in Dhaka on 8 September 2013.

Information and insights about the condition of the tea plantation workers in ‘tied’ situation and little-known ethnic communities of Bangladesh were shared at the seminar.

Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman was present at the event as the chief guest. Chaired by Prof. Sakhawat Ali Khan, chairman of SEHD, the special guests and commentators were Philippe JACQUES, the head of cooperation, European Union Delegation to Bangladesh; Prof. Rafiqul Islam, professor emeritus, ULAB; Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman, Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC); and Leonard Zilstra, country representative, ICCO Cooperation, Bangladesh Office.

In his chief guest’s speech Justice Habibur Rahman said, “There are a good number of communities in Bangladesh who do not call themselves Bangalis; without knowing them, we cannot develop their communities. And without their development, Bangladesh cannot be developed.” He applauded SEHD’s initiative to make these ethnic communities known to the majority people.

Representatives of more than 40 ethnic communities pictured at the seminar. Photo. Philip Gain

Philippe JACQUES appreciated the initiative saying, “The project has an exciting approach as it combines action research and capacity building. All of us are going to learn a lot during the implementation.” He hoped that the living conditions of these deprived communities would become more humane as a result of this initiative.

In his welcome speech Philip Gain, general secretary of SEHD, said that a tea worker in neighboring Sri Lanka gets Rs 550 per day while their Bangladeshi counterparts receive only BDT 69. Three years back, the daily wage was a meager 32.50 BDT. He also described the miseries of little known-ethnic communities of Bangladesh as people of more than 50 communities are deprived of education and access to land. “To protect the rights, fundamental freedom and political representation, we have to raise consciousness of all,” he added.

Representatives from some 45 communities among others including academics, researchers, development activists and journalists participated in the seminar to share their reflections on how to develop useful tools for study and capacity building of communities and their organizations.

The tea plantation workers and their communities in “tied” situation in the labor lines of the tea gardens are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups of people of Bangladesh. Descendants of the indentured plantation labor force and isolated from the majority community they remain largely unrepresented in democratic and political processes. Among the ethnic communities living in the plains and even some in the CHT there are as many as 60 groups that are little-known or invisible to the majority community and also to the outside world. Capability deprivation of these communities makes their sufferings and the structural abuses generational.

A pattiwali (tealeaf picker). Photo. Philip Gain

“Mapping and capacity building of tea plantation workers and little-known ethnic communities of Bangladesh” is a 3 years project supported by the European Union and ICCO Cooperation (Netherlands) that has started in May 2013 to clearly identity the tea workers and the little-known ethnic communities, raise their issues, and build their capacity.

http://www.dhakacourier.com.bd/?p=13577

“The government should not take any decision in haste allowing open-pit coal mining at Phulbari in Dinajpur. It should take decision on the issue only after due consideration of different aspects involved and in consultation with national and international experts,” urged Justice Habibur Rahman at the book launch and seminar organized by Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) at the National Press Club in Dhaka on 26 June 2013.

The two SEHD books launched are: “The Chittagong Hill Tracts: Man-Nature Nexus Torn” and “Energy Challenges and Phulbari Crisis,” edited by Philip Gain. Justice Habibur Rahman graced the event as the chief guest. Chaired by Prof. Sakhawat Ali Khan, chairman of SEHD, the special guests and commentators on the books were Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Raja Devasish Roy, Prof. Anu Muhammad, Goutam Kumar Chakma, Prof. Amena Mohsin, and Principal Khurshid Alam Moti.

“Human beings, in action to control nature, bring only misery. We all should, therefore, be caring about nurturing nature,” said Justice Habibur Rahman in reference to severe deforestation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. “Development should not take place in political or other interests. Common man should always be thought of in development efforts.”

On SEHD’s two books that have resulted from its years of investigations Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman, Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) said, “Both books have a common thread and that is to raise voice of the local people in order to strengthen democracy. SEHD’s investigative reports play an important role for inclusion of local people’s voices and judgment in development philosophy.”

“We are in dire need of energy resources, but it is not understandable why the government needs to develop energy contracts in secret. The government must consult all concerned in framing energy policy,” added Dr. Hossain. “The rulers, since the British era, have created problems for the CHT people as the latter’s views have always been neglected in the development discourse.”

Prof. Anu Muhammad, a front line leader in the resistance movement against open-cut mining in Bangladesh said, “The two books question the contemporary development philosophy at the core of which is privatization and profit.”

“If development is not sustainable, then how is it called real development?” questioned Muhammad. Militarization in the CHT for four decades, the resulting violence and high cost involved in it are rooted in the Kaptai Hydroelectricity Project intended for generation of electricity. Prof. Anu Muhammad asserted, “Huge sum of state money spent to handle violence in the CHT was sufficient to generate several thousands megawatt of electricity. The Kaptai Hydroelectricity Project fails to fulfill the targeted generation of 250 megawatt electricity today.”

Muhammad also informed that the government is setting electricity production plant near the Sundarbans, the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world. Such plant [in Rampal, a coastal area in Bagerhat district] poses a serious threat to the Sundarbans. The idea of development is taking place without taking into account the man-nature nexus and sustainability. “In Phulbari, the company sees only coal; it does not see the people, agricultural land, and other resources. The government also does not see the people when it looks through the company’s eyes,” observed Muhammad.

Raja Devashish Roy, Chakma circle chief referred to the dislocation of a large percentage of the CHT people due to the Kaptai dam and the artificial lake it created. “The local communities lose their traditions and livelihood due to implementation of such project and monetary compensation can never give back what they have lost. The open-cut coalmine would bring the same fate to the local people in Phulbari,” said Devasish. He mentioned the recent story of land taken away from the Chaks and said, “Many adivasi communities are insecure in the CHT. Many of them have fled to Myanmar.” He held progressive loss of common land responsible for invasion of tobacco in the CHT. He asserted that the paharis (hill people) who have lost their jum land lean to the tobacco companies. He thanked the publisher of the book, SEHD, for addressing different issues of the CHT.

Principal Kurshid Alam Moti, convener of Phulbair Rakkha Committee said, “We never said that we do not want coal mined. But we are against open-cut mining. We were not opposed to Barapukuria coalmine. In future, if method(s) to mine coal without damaging people’s life and environment are introduced, we will definitely support the government.”

In his welcome address, Philip Gain, the editor, gave an overview of the contents of the books. The book, “The Chittagong Hill Tracts: Man-Nature Nexus Torn”, basically a state of the CHT environment, deals with geography and environment, forests, official and illegal logging, plantation [economy], environmental impacts of development projects [Karnaphuli Paper Mill and Kaptai Hydroelectricity in particular] land grabbing, serfdom in the colonial reserves, pillage of the reserved forests (special attention to Reingkhyong, Kassalong, Sangu, and Matamuhuri reserved forests), village common forestry (VCF), bamboo [with an attention to its flowering and rat flood], traditional use of medicinal plants, wildlife [animals and birds] and their threats, brick-burning, invasion of tobacco, timber and furniture trade, water, stone mining, houses, traditional foods of the indigenous peoples, and impacts of militarization. The other book, “Energy Challenges and Phulbari Crisis” compiles expert analysis of energy status and energy efficiency potentials in Bangladesh; revolutionary scope of renewable energy; reports, analyses, images, analogy of resistance movement against Phulbari Coalmine; and critique of Asia Energy’s Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Phulbari coalmine project.

http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/phulbari-and-broader-issues/
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/losing-nature-confronting-reality/

A weeklong photography exhibition and a book launch event took place at Bandarban Shishu Academy.  The exhibition titled “Ambushed by Greed: the Chak Story” housed photographs that focused on Chak tradition, culture, and the environment they live in. Many of the photographs on display also portrayed the plight this small community is going through.

Launch of the book, “The Chaks: Life on the Fringe” published by SEHD was piggybacked with the launch of the exhibition. The book is a detailed survey work and investigation on the community and their plights. It also features articles on the Chak culture and lifestyle.

The book launch and photo exhibition took place at a time when the traditional land of the Chaks has become a subject of greed of land grabbers. Recently, the Chaks of Badurjhiri, a remote village in Naikkhongchhari have been forced to abandon their village in fear of bandits and have taken shelter at Baishiri Chakparas. Around 20 of them joined the event to voice their grievances.

There is not more than 3,000 Chaks in Bangladesh. The rubber and tobacco plantation have already caused eviction of two Chak villages. The Chaks in remote villages depend on jum cultivation and uncultivated vegetation for food. Since the introduction of rubber and tobacco, their common land is becoming a prime target. Rubber and tobacco farming is not only forcing the Chaks to abandon their land but is also destroying the biodiversity.

Holding the program turned out to be a bit difficult as Bandarban district administration and intelligence agencies got nervous when a SEHD team paid a visit to Badurjhiri, the abandoned Chak village and made arrangement for a woman who fled from the village to speak at the program. The administration wanted to shut the program. However, a meeting with the DC and SP eased the situation and SEHD received the permission to go ahead with the event.

Bomang Raja of Bandarban Bomang Circle, U Cha Prue, was the chief guest. Special guests were: Mong Mong Chak, former official at Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board; ZuamLian Amlai, chairperson of the Movement for the Protection of Forest and Land Rights; and Professor Osman Gani, president of Bandarban Press Club. A primary school teacher of Baishiri Chakpara Dhung Cha Aung Chak and Bandarban based young computer teacher Aung Jai Wei Chak also spoke on the event.

SEHD conducted a training session for members of Simsaka, a Garo woman group engaging in ecological farming with SEHD, on how to raise Basak (Malabarnut or Vasak) plants and harvest its leaves, preserve and market. Held on 20 April 2012 at the SEHD nursery in Rajghati village in Modhupur, the practical session was conducted by Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, a Local Service Provider (LSP) of Uddyag Foundation, an NGO based in Gaibandha and working for promotion of medicinal plant cultivation among the rural people. He demonstrated the techniques of harvesting and preservation of Basak leaves, preparation and planting of its seedlings.

“This plant has become an important source of income for the poor in our locality. A family of four to five members with 200 Basak plants can be self-employed. We have developed a mechanism of marketing medicinal plants including Basak with the pharmaceutical companies and the cultivators never get worried about the fate of their produce,” said Islam explaining the commercial potential of medicinal plants. In a reply to questions from the participants he said, there are around 70 kilometers of roadside Basak plantation in his area. Islam and other LSPs provide the cultivators with technical support.

Mr. Zillur Rahman Khondoker, the executive director of Uddyag Foundation explained the background of his organization’s involvement in medicinal plant cultivation among the poor people. The officials of Uddyag Foundation visited India with INTERCOOPERATION, a Switzerland based organization to gain knowledge about commercial potential of medicinal plants and became convinced about its possible benefits in its working area. With the technical support of INTERCOOPERATION, Uddyag Foundation started the cultivation of medicinal plants in Sahapara Union of Gaibandha Sadar upazila in 2006 and now it has been extended to eight unions among four upazilas of Gaibandha. “In addition to Basak, the farmers are also producing Kalomegh (Creat or Chiretta), Tulsi (Sacred Basil or Holy Basil), Choi and Arshwagandha (Winter Cherry) and all these plants are sent to the pharmaceutical companies namely ACME and SQUARE through LSPs. We are yet to catch up with the demand of the pharmaceutical companies. We urge all of you to promote this cultivation for an extra income and support the preservation of these valuable plants,” said Mr.  Khondokar.

Nironto Nokrek, the agriculture supervisor of Church of Bangladesh Social Development Program (CBSDP), a Modhupur based project, shared his knowledge of usefulness and preparation of vermi compost, a much-desired component of ecological farming.

For years the CBSDP has been trying to make compost manure popular among the farmers in Modhupur. Some farmers have become quite successful with vermi compost. Hamida Begum, a farmer of Aushnara union is one of them. She shared how she has become a role model of making vermi compost and how she has made her family financially solvent. She got training and simple apparatus (earthworms and concrete rings) from CBSDP and started the production of vermi compost primarily for her own use. It later became an earning source for her. Her success has brought her a reputation as well. “It is easy to produce vermi compost once you have started it. I just put kitchen waste, cow dung, and green leaves in sacks to prepare pre-compost, the primary ingredient for production of vermi compost. It takes around 20 days for the waste to rot. Then I transfer it into earthen pot or concrete rings. Sixty to 100 earthworms are good enough to feed on this pre-compost in one pot or ring. Once the earthworms are released in the pre-compost the production of vermi compost begins. This has now become part of my daily routine work,” says Hamida.

Hamida Begum reports that there is a great demand for vermi compost among the turmeric, ginger and banana cultivators. She and others who produce vermi compost are getting orders for more than what they can produce. “We sell every maund (around 40 kgs) of vermi compost for Tk.300. Given the demand prices of chemical fertilizers we are looking forward to increasing its price. I have earned Tk.70,000 from vermi compost during the last four years, which became a big support to my family,” says Hamida Begum with satisfaction.

The training was a follow-up of previous trainings that SEHD provided to the Garo women in particular who are willing to engage in ecological farming that SEHD has initiated in Modhupur.

April 20, 2012 was a landmark for SEHD to scale up its efforts with ecological farming in Modhupur. SEHD, from this April, is starting ecological farming on 2.1 acres of land. The Garo women, with further training, will be the managers of SEHD’s ecological farming. They will work the land, take care of the medicinal plants and crops. They indeed started cutting the banana plants and cleaning of the debris to prepare soil for the ecological farming.

In his inaugural note the director of SEHD Philip Gain explained the background of the SEHD’s involvement in ecological medicinal plant gardening and the initiative of organic crop production. Other SEHD officials present were Safiullah Safi (project coordinator) and Shekhar Kanti Ray (training and program officer), and Khokon Suiten Murmu (assistant accountant). SEHD initiative of ecological farming in Modhupur is partially supported by Marie Clarie, a premier magazine of fashion and style.

The Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) organized a training for 25 journalists on investigative reporting from March 22 to 25 (2012) at the YWCA auditorium in Dhaka. Journalists from 18 districts working with national and regional dailies and weeklies took part at the workshop.