A Correspondent
Tezpur: Hundreds of tea garden workers, under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ABCMS) Rangapara chapter, staged massive protest on Wednesday in front of the Assistant Labour Commissioner’s office, zone-lll Tezpur, with a demand to fix the wage of tea garden workers up to Rs 350 and to release the arrear for the last five months.
The protesters demanded implementation of minimum wages and entitlement to legal framework to change the working conditions. They had appealed to the authority concerned on many times but their demands allegedly fell into deaf ears. They also highlighted the fact that both the Centre and State government do not think about the welfare of the tea workers’ community and only used the tea labourers as vote bank. In every election, leaders from all political parties come to tea garden areas and give the assurance that their demands would be fulfilled. But after election, they all forget their assurances.
ABSMS leaders submitted a memorandum to the Labour Minister of Assam through the Assistant Labour Commissioner, Sonitpur, reiterating their demand for implementation of the State’s Minimum Wage Act in the tea plantations of Assam. Being aggrieved, workers of tea gardens came out in large numbers and raised slogans against the State Labour Minister and Chief Minister of Assam.
In the memorandum, they demanded to clear outstanding wages of tea workers of the State, take necessary action against defaulting tea estates and raise in the minimum daily wage for tea workers to Rs 350.
Members of ABSMS said, “It is unfortunate that the government is completely ignoring our constant demand for hiking daily wages. The present wages of the tea garden workers hardly meet their expenditure, considering the sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities. We expect the government to settle the legitimate demand of the tea garden workers.”
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