Working hard, risking wellbeing... all for Tk 400
Despite going through the arduous task of stone crushing, along with loading and unloading, about 40,000 labourers at Lalmonirhat's Burimari and Kurigram's Sonahat land ports are deprived of fair wages.
Talking to The Daily Star, some workers said they receive a wage of Tk 400 for a day's work from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Their earnings are insufficient to provide for their families, contribute to their children's education, and meet other basic needs. On days when the work is stopped, they either have to starve or borrow from others. Also, they do not get any additional benefits aside from their wages.
Sources from the Sangjukta Sramik Federation disclosed that the Burimari land port in Patigram upazila hosts 27,000 labourers engaged in stone crushing, while the Sonahat land port in Bhurungamari upazila employs 13,000 workers. At least 20 percent of these workers are women.
Monir Hossain, a 50-year-old labourer at Sonahat, told The Daily Star that they are toiling hard amid constant risk of "silicosis" disease.
"If there had been other job alternatives in the area, I would not have worked here," he added.
Nazrul Islam, another labourer at the Burimari land port, echoed Monir, saying, "Stone dust enters our lungs through the nose and mouth while working, and it causes deadly silicosis among the workers."
"Many of our coworkers already died from silicosis, and many others are still fighting for their lives. Machine owners never help us financially with our treatment, and they ignore us when we demand fair wages," he added.
Nur Islam, owner of a stone-crushing machine at Burimari land port, said the number of workers in the region is higher than the demand. As there is no alternative employment, they work there at low wages. More than 2,000 stone-crushing machines are operated there, each employing 12-25 workers.
"If other machine owners raise the wages, I will also do the same," he said.
Moniruzzaman Monir, general secretary of Sangjukta Sramik Federation in Lalmonirhat, said they are trying to unite stone-crushing workers on a platform in order to press home their demand for a daily wage of Tk 700.
If the demands are not met, the platform will launch a movement, he added.
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