‘Earning Tk 100 less just for being a woman’

In nearly 3,000 stone-crushing plants surrounding Burimari and Sonahat land ports, thousands of women labour alongside men. They put in the same hours from 9:00am to 5:00pm daily. However, a pay disparity persists, as female workers receive Tk 400 while their male counterparts' earn Tk 500 daily.

Expressing their frustration, Kulsum Begum, 34, from Sahebdanga village, shared, "We work hard just like men but aren't compensated equally."

"It looks like we are paid Tk 100 less only because we are women," she added.

Kohinur Begum, 45, from Burimari village, echoed her.

Khadija Begum, 40, from Sonahat village, said, "Stone traders ignore our demand for equal pay. I'd quit if I found a better job."

Nasir Uddin, 48, a male worker, added, "Women work as hard as men but are paid less. It's injustice, and I'm not happy about it."

Workers' leader Safar Uddin at Burimari land port highlighted that equal pay for women has been a longstanding demand, attributing the exploitation to widespread unemployment in rural areas.

However, stone trader Shamsul Islam justified lower female wages, attributing it to the surplus of female jobseekers. Mahtab Uddin, a stone trader at Sonahat land port, said, "Female workers don't perform as well."

Moniruzzaman Monir, general secretary of Bangladesh Sanjukta Sramik Federation in Lalmonirhat, warned of addressing the issue with stone traders.

He said, "If women workers' demands aren't met, a united movement will ensue."