Mintu Abdur Rahman, Rangpur :
The female labourers in Rangpur district are deprived of equal rights, as they are given much less wages than their male counterparts for the same type of works. According to sources a good number of women in the region work in crop fields, brick kilns, husking mills, restaurants, hotels and construction sites and are also engaged in earth cutting, stone chips and breaking brick as day labourers.
While visiting many areas in different upazilas under the district this correspondent recently found that a male labourer is paid Tk 180 to Tk 300 after rendering day long services, while a female labourer gets Tk 90 to Tk 150 for the same amount and type of work. Some young female labourers alleged that they are often become victim of harassment by their male co-workers. Even they become victim of lust of employers and co-male workers. Motahara (35), a female orker at a tobacco leaf processing centre under British Amerian Tobacco Company Bangladesh Ltd in Gangarchara upazila in said she works at least 8 to 9 hours a day but gets only Tk 100-Tk 120 whereas a male worker gets Tk 180-Tk250 for the same amount and type of work, she further said.They often fall sick by inhaling toxic dust of tobacco floating in air. Many of them are suffering from various respiratory diseases including asthma, cough said, some workers of the tobacco processing centre.
They urged the government to take necessary steps to ensure their equal rights. Asked about the reason of such wage inequality, Akmal Mia, a land owner of Khansama area at Kawnia upazila said “Though the female workers are more sincere to work than the male workers, they get less wage, as the male labourers are able to carry more workload than that of the females”, he added.
