Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The Assam government has issued a directive to the seven tea management associations of the state to pay bonuses to their garden workers before September 25, 2024, well ahead of the Durga Puja. The government has also directed the tea gardens to declare the quantum or percentage of bonus by September 15.
In this regard, the Labour Welfare Department of the government of Assam has written a letter to the seven tea management associations of the state: ABITA, Guwahati; Tea Association of India, Guwahati; ATPA, Jorhat; BCP, Dibrugarh; NETA, Golaghat; SVB, India Tea Association; Silchar; and Tea Association, Silchar.
“It is needless to emphasise that the payment of the bonus makes a serious impact on the industrial relations between employer and employees in the industrial scenario of Assam. This is more vital in the state’s plantation sector: payment of bonuses is always customarily made before the Durga Puja festival,” the letter from the state Labour Welfare Department said.
“As the Durga Puja is approaching in the second week of October 2024, it is, therefore, requested that the Tea Garden Managements finalise their annual balance sheets and work out the quantum of bonus as per provision of law, i.e., the Payment of Bonus Act. 1965, as amended in 2015, well ahead of the Durga Puja. The process of declaring the quantum/percentage of bonus and ex-gratia (if any) should be completed within September 15, 2024, with an intimation to all concerned. In case of any exigency, the local Labour Department officials and the District and Sub-Divisional Civil and Police Administrations may be taken into confidence to extend all the possible help and cooperation in resolving the issues promptly and suitably. The payment of the bonus should be completed by September 25, 2024. In case of any disagreements, bilateral or tripartite negotiated settlement should be tried suitably depending on the individual issues of garden/locality,” mentioned the letter.
It further said, “Any deviation from this instruction and the laid down provision of law will be viewed seriously. You are requested to insist upon your member gardens to scrupulously follow the above guidelines and comply with the statutory provision of law so that no scope is left for making any complaint against employers of tea industries regarding payment of bonus,” adding, “with the proactive approach of the management and the help and cooperation from all concerned, the payment of bonus to the tea garden workers in the year 2024 will be timely and hassle-free.”
Meanwhile, the Labour Welfare Department also wrote to the district commissioners regarding the matter of the payment of the bonus to the tea garden workers. “In case of any exigency, the local Labour Department officials and the district civil and police administration may extend all possible help and cooperation in resolving the issues promptly and suitably,” the letter added.
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