A different kind of market in Mymensingh: Where human labor is sold every day

Before the light of dawn fully dawns, hundreds of people gather at the Trishal Upazila Women's College intersection in Mymensingh every day. Some have spades in their hands, some have shovels in their hands, and some just stand there waiting for work. This is not a conventional commodity or livestock market, it is basically an informal 'labor market'. As soon as the sun rises, from 7 am to 9:30 am, masons, construction workers, agricultural workers and daily wage earners come to this market to sell their manual labor.

Along with Trishal College intersection, the same scene is seen every morning in the Charpara area of ​​Mymensingh city. Contractors, homeowners or representatives of various organizations come to this market and directly negotiate and hire workers as needed. Although the daily wage of a general worker is currently limited to 550 to 600 taka, experienced workers get a slightly higher wage based on their skills. The market is quite popular for the convenience of both the work and the workers in a short time.

However, there is no permanent guarantee of work in this daily income market. Although the demand for work increases during certain times of the year, such as during the paddy harvest or the Boro season, construction work decreases during the rainy season, creating severe uncertainty. Daily laborers who depend on daily work to support their families, if they do not get work for a day, even lighting a fire in their stove becomes a responsibility. As a result, the uncertainty of returning home empty-handed without finding any work is their daily companion.

This sad picture of the country's informal labor market highlights a cruel reality of the daily laborers' struggle. Lacking permanent jobs or social security benefits, people of various professions aged 20 to 60 have to stand at this market every day in search of food. As the day progresses, those who are lucky enough to get work rush to their workplace, while the rest return home with a heavy heart, hoping to return to this market again the next morning.