Sensitization meeting was held with the representatives of the local government and civil society to ensure equal wages in the shrimp farm on September 17, 2023 at Atulia Union Parishad hall room under the project Empowering Women through Civil Society Actors in Bangladesh (EWCSA) funded by Oxfam Bangladesh and European Union. The meeting was presided over by Mr. Kartik Chandra Mondal, UP Secretary ao Atulia Union while the Chief Guest was Mr. Abu Saleh Babu, Chairman of Atulia Union Parishad. Mr. Mohan Kumar Mondal, Executive Director, LEDARS, delivered welcome speech at this meeting. Special Guests of this were respectively Md. Asaduzzaman, Head Teacher of Nawabeki Secondary School, Mr. GM Nasir Uddin, Assistant Teacher of Safirunnesa Secondary Girls School, Md. Mostafizur Rahman, BPD Teacher of Nawabeki College, Md. Maruf Billah, prominent businessman, Ms. Renuka Rani Mondal, Tahmina Begum, Swapan Kumar Baida, Md. Ghafoor Dhali, Md. Sirajul Islam, UP Members of Atulia Union Parishad. The meeting was also addressed others by the representatives of doctors, businessmen, shrimp farm owners, social workers, journalists and women shrimp workers. The meeting was facilitated by Alim Al Razi, Program Manager, Tamalika Mallick, Advocacy Officer, Debbrata Kumar Gain, Program Officer of LEDARS. In this meeting, a total of 40 representatives from local government and civil society of Atulia Union participated and contributed by giving their valuable opinions.
Mr. Abu Saleh Babu, Chairman of Atulia Union Parishad said, ‘as the women workers in the shrimp farm do not get the same wages as the men, but they work more than the men. Therefore, considering the present time, the issue of increasing their wages should be given importance by the shrimp farm owners. And we should start by declaring to pay equal wages to the women shrimp workers.’ He also emphasized to arrange toilet facilities for the women workers. In responding to the invitation of the Chairman, local shrimp farm owners, Sharat Chandra Mondal and Bikash Mandal promised to pay equal wages to women shrimp workers and other shrimp farm owners also expressed interest in paying equal wages.
