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Smoke and shadows
FROM PAGE 3
unsanitary and heavily worn down from overuse.
Outside, a tubewell stands broken, further inconveniencing workers.
This branch employs around 532 permanent workers, each assigned a weekly quota of 16,000 to 32,000 biri sticks.
The demand for handmade biri has decreased, so most workers complete their tasks in three days, leaving the factory idle for the rest of the week.
Essential safety measures, such as providing masks and gloves could significantly mitigate health risks for workers and their children, said experts.
None of the factories visited by this correspondent saw such measures at place.
AN EXPLOITATIVE SYSTEM
In the biri industry, the wage disparity between factory owners, permanent workers, and subcontracted labour reveals a deeply inequitable system.
A factory owner packages 1,000 sticks into 40 packets of 25 biris each, which sell wholesale for around Tk 800.
However, permanent workers receive only Tk 90 for the same 1,000 sticks.
By the time the biri packets reach consumers, they’re sold at retail prices ranging between Tk 22 and Tk 24 per packet -- multiplying the revenue that never trickles down to the labourers who craft the products by hand.
Orders for rolling biris are distributed according to seniority, with veterans given the highest production targets of up to 32,000 sticks per week.
To stretch their earnings, these “permanent” workers resort to subcontracting most of their work to local women and children, while they pull rickshaws and work in local tea stalls to earn extra money.
The subcontracted workers are paid a paltry Tk 35 for every 1,000 biri produced, while the permanent workers are left with a net profit of Tk 55.
The process is broken into three stages: assembling the biri sticks, filling them with tobacco, and sealing and packaging them.
Subcontractors get just Tk 16 for rolling the biri sticks, Tk 3 for filling, and Tk 16 more for final packaging.
Abdur Rashid, general secretary of the Karikor Biri Workers Union, voiced concerns about stagnant wages amid rising costs of living. “Prices are climbing, but our wages remain unchanged. Many of us are lucky if we earn between Tk 5,000 and Tk 12,000 monthly,” he said.
A VICIOUS CYCLE
Meanwhile, in Barishal’s biri factories, generations of workers -- mothers, daughters, grandmothers -- persevere through suffocating conditions for meagre wages.
These stories of multi-generational toil capture a sad reality: the cycle of poverty that has entangled entire families within these smoke-filled sheds for decades.
In the first part of this series, we told the story of 19-year-old Fatema Akther, who spends long hours packing biris holding her 13-month-old son.
Her own journey in this industry began much the same way -- guided by her mother, Minara Begum, who, at 40, still works here, her health rapidly declining.
“I sometimes need an inhaler, and my body swells up during the hotter months. But this is all I know,” said Minara
Despite the toll, she cannot afford consistent medical care; her wages, barely Tk 150-200 for two to three days’ work, rarely stretch beyond basic necessities.
Shila Halder, a mother of one, holds a master’s degree, yet finds herself here, rolling biris alongside her four-year-old daughter, who sits patiently beside her, absorbing the grim routine that may one day be her own.
Shila’s mother, Dipali, who has been working in the factory for over 30 years, suffers from chronic chest pain. “I can’t afford a doctor,” she says, rolling yet another biri.
Rina Begum, 40, has worked at the factory for 25 years. Despite suffering from allergies and asthma, she hasn’t seen a doctor in years. “I earn Tk 80 for packing 5,000 biris a day,” she said.
Rina rents a house near the factory for Tk 2,000 a month.
Shah Alam, a worker since 1975, says he starts to cough soon after entering the factory. “But this [rolling biris] is the only thing I know. What else can I do?”
Rahul Dey, a director at Karikor Biri, said considering the health hazards, the factory plans shifting to food production. But relocating workers to new roles will take time, he said.
He said government support is necessary for workers to transition effectively.
SIMILAR CONDITION EVERYWHERE
The Karikor Biri’s second branch at Fishery Road, employing 275 permanent workers, reveals a similar pattern.
Many workers, particularly women and children, suffer from breathing problems and other physical complications due to the toxic environment.
Parul Begum, 40, has been working in the factory for 30 years. Despite seeing a doctor two years ago, who prescribed an inhaler and advised against tobacco factory work, she feels trapped by her circumstances.
She said she earns just Tk 160 for packing 10,000 biris in three days, making it hard to afford medical treatment.
Sonali Akhter, a 24-year-old, helps her father, Zakir Sikder, pack biris after he developed chest pains.
Sonali packs 5,000 biris a day.
Maksuda Begum, 65, has worked at the factory for 30 years.
Struggling with breathing issues, she earns Tk 96 for packing 6,000 biris a day. Like many of her colleagues, she relies on local store medicine, unable to afford regular medical visits.
Most biri-makers live in the Palashpur and Kala Kha slums of the city.
Their homes, cramped and dilapidated, are often little more than single-room shelters with leaky roofs, providing barely enough space to accommodate all family members.
Firoza Begum, 65, resides in the Palashpur 1no slum. She began rolling biris after her husband’s death. She makes just Tk 32 for 2,000 sticks.
Parul Begum, another resident, makes up to 25,000 sticks a week, earning only Tk 16 per thousand sticks.
The situation is no different in Kala Kha, where Chan Banu, 65, has spent over 40 years in the profession. Her home is a small, dark room with worn-out walls.
She continues her work despite suffering from waist pain.
HEALTH HAZARD
There is a significant correlation between exposure to harmful environments in tobacco factories, and an increased risk of respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis.
Research has shown that workers in such environments are particularly vulnerable to respiratory conditions due to long-term exposure to tobacco dust and poor air quality, which weakens their immune systems and heightens susceptibility to infections like TB​, said experts.
Siddiqur Rahman, a former professor at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College in Barishal, treats around 2,000 TB patients annually, with over 60 percent caused by direct or indirect impacts of tobacco.
Saiful Islam from BRAC said 70 percent of people carry TB germs, and its symptoms often surface when the immune system is weakened. Exposure to tobacco increases the chance of TB infections.
WHAT AUTHORITIES SAY?
Osman Gani, deputy director of the Barishal divisional department of labour, said, “We held awareness meetings last year, advising workers to use masks and gloves, but they do not follow these guidelines.”
Gani also mentioned that around 1,000 workers from different sectors received free treatment as part of the government’s initiative last year, but biri workers showed little interest.
Abdur Rashid, general secretary of the Karikor Biri Workers Union, said workers have not received any safety or medical facilities in the last 40 years.
Meanwhile, Rahul Dey, director of Karikor Biri, said the factories are managed by local union workers, with the company only collecting the completed biri packets.
“Even then, when we hear any complaints, we try to solve those immediately,” he claimed.