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and will hear from tea workers,” he added.

The DC shared the information with journalists after the meeting yesterday afternoon.

Bangladesh Tea Workers’ Union’s acting general secretary Nipen Paul, who was present at the meeting, said, “We have accepted the wage hike rate for the time being. We have said that we want to talk to the Prime Minister. We want to let her know about our sufferings, problems and demands. They [government officials] have said that a zoom meeting will be arranged shortly.

“We call upon all the tea workers across the country to join work tomorrow (Sunday).”

However, rejecting the call several hundred workers staged a demonstration at different points of Moulvibazar, Sylhet and Habiganj and cited that they would continue the movement until their demand of a daily wage of Tk 300 is fulfilled.

Till wiring the report last evening around 7:30pm, workers were demonstrating at Lakkatora tea estate in Sylhet, Bhurburia tea estate in Moulvibazar’s Sreemangal upazila, and Begum Khan-Chanpur tea estate in Habiganj’s Chunarughat upazila.

“Only Tk 25 hike is not sufficient in such a situation when the price of daily essentials is soaring continuously. We respect the prime minister’s directives. But we want more hike in our wage,” said Mina Robidas, a tea worker in Bhurbuira area.

“We will not join work until our demand of rising daily wage to Tk 300 is fulfilled,” said Mangri Ghatawal, a female tea worker of Moulvibazar’s Rajnagar upazila.

Earlier, yesterday noon, workers blockaded Sylhet Airport Road for two hours from 12:00pm to press home.

Workers of 166 tea estates across the country, including those in Chattogram and Sylhet, enforced have been enforcing work abstention since August 13 demanding their wage hike.

Earlier, they enforced a two-hour work abstention from 9:00am to 11:00am daily for four consecutive days from August 9 to 12.

According to government statistics, around 1.40 lakh people work in 166 tea gardens across the country.