Public Health on Top

As the country is moving towards the national budget season, bidi industry workers have already started taking to the streets in human chains and demonstrations, organized under the banner of a plethora of organizations. Bidi Factory Owners' Association and Bangladesh Bidi Factory Federation have already submitted a memorandum to the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR). However, a recent study has unmasked that such protests by bidi workers are not spontaneous, rather staged by factory owners. According to the study, titled Understanding The Reasons Behind Bidi Workers’ Protests In Bangladesh: A Qualitative Investigation, representatives of bidi factory owners, marketing officers, and agents organize these protests. Workers are not allowed to speak during protests. Factory owners cover conveyance, food, and other expenses. Poor bidi workers are unable to bear the costs of such protests. Bidi factory owners are the ultimate beneficiaries of these protests.

As per the findings of the study, bidi workers do not have any association to work for their welfare. An influential and large bidi company has become the de-facto leader of these protests. Factory authorities often resort to fearmongering tactics, saying if the prices of bidi are raised, then the whole industry will collapse; there will be no work in bidi factories. They also say the government wants to shut down the bidi industry. Factory owners often threaten to revoke the workers' cards or to shut down factories if the workers do not participate in protests.

The study makes several recommendations which include imposing higher taxes on bidis and utilizing the increased revenues for supporting rehabilitation and alternative livelihoods for bidi workers; bringing bidi industry under rigorous monitoring to ensure compliance with tax and labor laws especially related to the use of child labor, and providing support to bidi factory owners to switch to other businesses and this can be incentivized through loans or other assistance. Implementation of such measures will facilitate the emergence of a tobacco-free Bangladesh.