On Sunday, June 29, 2025, the inaugural session of the first National Conference of the Tea Workers’ Trade Union Center was held at the District Council Auditorium in Sreemangal, Moulvibazar, focusing on a 10-point charter of demands, including land rights for tea workers. The event featured an opening ceremony, rally, assembly, and cultural program.

The conference began with a cultural program at 10 a.m., showcasing the rich heritage of the tea community through music, poetry recitations, and drama.

A notable performance was a play depicting the historic “Mulluk Chalo” movement, which deeply moved the audience, highlighting the tea workers’ history of deprivation and resistance. The session was moderated by Monisha Wahid, an organizer of the Tea Workers’ Trade Union Center.

The event was inaugurated by Comrade Mujahidul Islam Selim, former president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), who hoisted the national flag. Sabuj Tanti, convener of the Tea Workers’ Trade Union Center, raised the organization’s flag.

Following the cultural program, a vibrant rally traversed the streets of Sreemangal, with thousands of tea workers from Sreemangal, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, and Habiganj participating. The rally, filled with banners, festoons, and slogans, saw enthusiastic involvement from workers, students, and youth representing over a thousand tea gardens.

In his inaugural speech, Comrade Mujahidul Islam Selim stated, “In an anti-discrimination Bangladesh, the tea community remains the most oppressed, deprived, and neglected. Despite years of struggle, their rights have not been realized.” Addressing the Chief Adviser of the interim government, he remarked, “During Ershad’s regime, we fought and secured rights. What is your problem with granting land rights to the tea community? There are plenty of lands outside the tea gardens that can be allocated to them.” He also urged the implementation of the 10-point demands, including a daily wage of 600 taka for tea workers.

The discussion session, chaired by Sabuj Tanti and moderated by S.M. Shubho, featured speeches from notable figures, including Comrade Mujahidul Islam Selim, Dr. Nazia Chowdhury (Professor of Physics, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology), Sohrab Hassan (Joint Editor, Prothom Alo), Joli Talukder (leader of the Garments Workers’ Trade Union Center), Mahbub Alam, and representatives from various tea garden panchayats and tea worker communities.

Speakers at the assembly emphasized, “The 185 years of deprivation must end. The 10-point demands, including land rights and a daily wage of 600 taka, have become the need of the hour.” They strongly urged political parties participating in national elections to include the tea workers’ 10-point demands in their manifestos.

The speakers further stated, “We dream of a future where the children of tea workers no longer grow up in shanties, where education reaches every family. Today’s conference marks the beginning of a united struggle against state-sponsored discrimination, propelling the collective strength of tea workers forward.”