Category: TWTUC – Tea Workers Bangladesh

Sylhet (Bangladesh): Tea workers rally for 105th anniversary of “Mulluk Chalo” movement

The Tea Workers’ Trade Union Center (TWTUC) shares this report:

Today is May 20th. On this very day in 1921, one of the most barbaric and brutal massacres in the history of the subcontinent took place at the Meghna Ghat in Chandpur. Falling victim to the cruelty of the British colonial rulers, thousands of innocent tea plantation workers lost their lives on that day.

Around the 19th century, the British rulers cleared the hilly terrains of Assam and Sylhet to establish the tea industry. To meet the labor shortage in these plantations, poor and indigenous people from regions like Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Madras in India were lured with the fictional promise of “Gaach hilayega, paisa milega” (shake the tree and money will fall). In reality, however, their lives became confined within the four walls of the tea gardens. They were given ‘tea tokens’ as nominal wages, which were entirely useless outside the plantations. Consequently, these workers were forced into a life of virtual slavery.

In 1921, after 70 long years of exploitation and torture, the daily wages of the workers were slashed to a mere 3 paisa under the pretext of a global recession. Faced with this ultimate humiliation and inspired by the passionate call of the ongoing Non-Cooperation Movement, around 30,000 tea workers simultaneously declared a rebellion. Their slogan was “Mulluk Chalo” (Let’s return to our homeland). Even though the British administration and plantation owners conspired to halt all train and steamer services, the workers set off on foot. Over the course of a long week, thousands of starving workersโ€”including women, children, and the elderlyโ€”crossed hundreds of miles to reach the Meghna Ghat in Chandpur.

On May 19th, as the workers were boarding a ship, a sudden armed assault was launched upon them, and the ship’s gangplank was removed, causing many to drown in the river. Later, during the deep state of night on May 20th, while the exhausted workers lay asleep on the platforms of the Chandpur railway station, Gurkha soldiersโ€”acting on the orders of the British administrationโ€”charged at them with unsheathed bayonets and firearms. In this indiscriminately executed genocide, the bodies of thousands of slain workers were dumped and floated away into the Meghna River. The rest were forcibly driven back into the slavery of the tea plantations.

Although there had been an indirect call from the major political parties of the time behind this movement, the only fierce protest against this atrocity was forged by the workers’ union of the ‘Assam Bengal Railway’. For the offense of staging a continuous two-and-a-half-month strike under the leadership of Deshapriya Jatindra Mohan Sengupta, nearly 5,000 railway employees were terminated from their jobs. Today, more than a century has passed. The history of the Meghna’s waters being stained with the blood of tea workers remains unwritten in our textbooks. We bear the legacy of the sacrifices made by these heroic workers who have been ignored by the pages of history. We shall fight the battle for our rights forever.

Program organized by the
Tea Workers Trade Union Centre (เฆšเฆพ-เฆถเงเฆฐเฆฎเฆฟเฆ• เฆŸเงเฆฐเง‡เฆก เฆ‡เฆ‰เฆจเฆฟเงŸเฆจ เฆ•เง‡เฆจเงเฆฆเงเฆฐ):

1. List of Tea Gardens (by District)

The poster lists various tea gardens across three major districts in the Sylhet division:

Moulvibazar District (เฆฎเงŒเฆฒเฆญเง€เฆฌเฆพเฆœเฆพเฆฐ)

  • Hamidia Tea Garden (เฆนเฆพเฆฎเฆฟเฆฆเฆฟเฆฏเฆผเฆพ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Moulvi Tea Garden (เฆฎเงŒเฆฒเฆญเง€ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Padmajhiri Tea Garden (เฆชเฆฆเงเฆฎเฆ›เฆกเฆผเฆพ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Alinagar Tea Garden (เฆ†เฆฒเง€เฆจเฆ—เฆฐ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Kaliti Tea Garden (เฆ•เฆพเฆฒเฆฟเฆŸเฆฟ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Karimpur Tea Garden (เฆ•เฆฐเฆฟเฆฎเฆชเงเฆฐ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Bijoya Tea Garden (เฆฌเฆฟเฆœเฆฏเฆผเฆพ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Muraichhara Tea Garden (เฆฎเงเฆฐเฆ‡เฆ›เฆกเฆผเฆพ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)

Habiganj District (เฆนเฆฌเฆฟเฆ—เฆžเงเฆœ)

  • Lalchand Tea Garden (เฆฒเฆพเฆฒเฆšเฆพเฆจเงเฆฆ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Chandi Tea Garden (เฆšเฆจเงเฆกเฆฟ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Ramganga Tea Garden (เฆฐเฆพเฆฎเฆ—เฆ™เงเฆ—เฆพ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Deundi Tea Garden (เฆฆเง‡เฆ‰เฆจเงเฆฆเฆฟ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)

Sylhet District (เฆธเฆฟเฆฒเง‡เฆŸ)

  • Khadim Tea Garden (เฆ–เฆพเฆฆเฆฟเฆฎ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Kalagul Tea Garden (เฆ•เฆพเฆฒเฆพเฆ—เงเฆฒ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Alibahar Tea Garden (เฆ†เฆฒเง€เฆฌเฆพเฆนเฆพเฆฐ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Daluchhara Tea Garden (เฆกเฆพเฆฒเงเฆ›เฆกเฆผเฆพ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)
  • Lalakhal Tea Garden (เฆฒเฆพเฆฒเฆพเฆ–เฆพเฆฒ เฆšเฆพ-เฆฌเฆพเฆ—เฆพเฆจ)

2. Declared Programme Details

The Tea Workers Trade Union Centre has announced a multi-day event observing a major historic milestone:

  • Occasion: The 105th Anniversary Programme of the historic “Mulluk Chalo” (Return to Homeland) Movement of May 20th.
  • Event Type: Discussion Meeting (เฆ†เฆฒเง‹เฆšเฆจเฆพ เฆธเฆญเฆพ) and Cultural Programme (เฆธเฆพเฆ‚เฆธเงเฆ•เงƒเฆคเฆฟเฆ• เฆ…เฆจเงเฆทเงเฆ เฆพเฆจ).
  • Dates: May 20 โ€“ May 22, 2026.
  • Slogan / Header: “Workers of the world, unite” (เฆฆเงเฆจเฆฟเฆฏเฆผเฆพเฆฐ เฆฎเฆœเฆฆเงเฆฐ เฆเฆ• เฆนเฆ“)

Key demands declared on the poster:

  1. The historic May 20th must be officially declared as ‘Tea Workers Day’ (เฆšเฆพ-เฆถเงเฆฐเฆฎเฆฟเฆ• เฆฆเฆฟเฆฌเฆธ) along with a paid public holiday.
  2. The history of the “Mulluk Chalo” Movement must be included in institutional textbooks.

Tea workers in Bangladesh rally and get organized!

The Tea Workers’ Trade Union Center (TWTUC) commemorated its 1st National Conference at the Moulvibazar District Council Auditorium in Sreemangal on June 29th, 2025 with hundreds of workers coming together.

The conference was announced by comrades of TWTUC with the following words:

Revolutionary greetings from the tea workers of Bangladesh. For generations, tea workers have endured systemic discrimination and exploitation. In response, we have been organizing sustained movements and struggles to secure our fundamental rights and dignity. Today, we express our heartfelt solidarity with tea workers across the world. From continent to continent, working people face similar patterns of exploitation, marginalization, and repression. Our struggle, therefore, is not confined within national bordersโ€”it is part of the broader fight for international working-class unity and justice.
We believe that the liberation of the working class cannot happen in isolation. True freedom is only possible through the unity and solidarity of all oppressed, exploited, and struggling workers across the globe. As part of our ongoing movement, we are pleased to announce the 1st National Conference and Mass Rally of the Tea Workersโ€™ Trade Union Centre.

Logo of the Tea Workers Trade Union Center (TWTUC) featuring the organization's name in Bengali and English, accompanied by an emblem depicting a worker.

TWTUC released the this 10-point charter of demands:

1) Wages

a) Set the minimum daily wage at 600 BDT*, preserving all current benefits (including rations, housing, and healthcare). Overtime must be compensated at double rate. For additional leaf picking, a payment of 12 BDT per kg must be ensured. Manipulation in weight measurements must stopโ€”replace analog scales with digital ones visible to workers. An annual 10% wage increment must be guaranteed. The anti-worker Gazette published on 1 August 2023 must be repealed.
b) By labor law, provide all workers with Provident Fund, Gratuity, and 5% of company profits under Section 234 of the Bangladesh Labor Act, 2006. As per the 2016 agreement, retired workers must receive a pension equal to 1.5 monthsโ€™ wages per year worked. In case of workplace death or disability, full lifetime earnings must be compensated.
c) Provide two annual festival bonuses equivalent to a full month’s wage, and one additional incentive bonusโ€”these must not be attendance-based.
d) Enforce casual leave (10 days/year) and earned leave (1 day for every 18 working days) as per labor law.

* 600 BDT equal approx. 4.20 EUR / 4.93 USD. The current daily wage stands at 168 BDT and a new phase of labour struggles for higher wages could be expected later this year

2) Rations

Provide full family rations weekly, including rice, flour, lentils, oil, sugar/jiggery, soap, tea leaves, and kerosene. End all unjust ration deductions for agricultural land use. Sanitation infrastructure (toilets, etc.) must be provided per Section 59 of the Labor Act.

3) Land Rights

Grant legal ownership of residential and cultivated land to tea workers. Distribute unused land among unemployed tea worker youth.

4) Education

Officially recognize tea workersโ€™ ethnic identity, language, and culture. Establish government primary schools in every tea garden. Provide primary education in workersโ€™ native languages. Establish specialized secondary schools, colleges, technical institutes, and cultural academies in every valley.

5) Healthcare

Ensure qualified MBBS doctors, functional community clinics, and adequate medicine supplies in every garden. Provide safety equipment against pesticide-related health hazards.
Install deep tube wells and one tube well per 20 families for safe drinking water. Each garden must have at least one ambulance.

6) Women’s Rights

Grant 6 months paid maternity leave to female tea workers. Provide 2 days of paid menstrual leave per month. Supply free sanitary pads through community clinics. Ensure safe and hygienic delivery facilities, nutrition, medicine, and vaccines. Allocate raincoats to all female workers each monsoon. Build separate toilets for women in each section. Take effective measures to eliminate child marriage and violence against women in tea gardens.

7) Job Security & Employment

Regularize the employment of all temporary workers. Provide job opportunities for unemployed tea workers. Eliminate child labor in gardens. Establish quota reservations in employment for workersโ€™ children. Employ educated female workers in staff positions.

8) Recognition of Historical Struggles

Declare May 20โ€”the day of the historic โ€œCholo Mullukeโ€ tea worker uprisingโ€”as National Tea Workers Day, with paid leave. Identify and honor tea worker freedom fighters and martyrs from the Liberation War. Preserve all related memorial sites.

9) Local Governance

Form union councils (Union Parishads) based on tea gardens. Utilize all opportunities to form sub-districts (upazilas) in tea-producing regions.

10) Legal & Organizational Rights

Repeal all anti-worker laws in the tea industry. Ensure the right to free association and trade union formation. Fully implement the Labor Act in tea gardens. Establish a Minimum Wage Board specific to the tea industry. Set up a permanent Labor Court in Sreemangal, and ensure resolution of all cases within 90 days.

The Daily Star reports on the conference:

A procession followed, drawing hundreds of tea workers and students from across Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, and Sreemangal. They carried banners, festoons, and chanted slogans, demanding recognition of their rights and fulfilment of their long-standing demands. […]
Organisers said the conference marks the beginning of a broader movement aimed at mobilising the collective strength of tea workers in their fight for dignity and justice.

Several unions and comrades in Bangladesh and internationally expressed their support and solidarity with the tea workers ahead of the TWTUC conference, such as GABRIELA, the broadest alliance of Filipino women, and the International Confederation of Labour (ICL-CIT). All greetings were published on the TWTUC facebook page.

A group of people in colorful traditional clothing gathered around a tractor in a rural setting, some holding bags and listening to a speaker who is holding an audio message. The image promotes May Day and features text about the Tea Workers' Trade Union Center.