A CORRESPONDENT
DIBRUGARH: Tea workers across the Brahmaputra Valley staged a one-hour strike on Wednesday, warning of a massive statewide agitation if wage revisions are not implemented immediately. The protest, led by the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), saw a complete shutdown of operations during the demonstration period.
In Dibrugarh, workers of the Rajabari Tea Estate in Moran joined hundreds of other estates in protest. Holding banners and shouting slogans, the Rajabari workers highlighted the growing desperation within the community.
Following the demonstration, memoranda were submitted to garden managements for onwards submission to the state government.
The central demand remains the immediate hike of daily wages to Rs 351. Currently, workers receive only Rs 250. ACMS leaders pointed out that the stagnant wage, coupled with the skyrocketing prices of essential food, fuel, and medicine, has pushed plantation families into severe financial hardship.
"A daily wage of Rs 250 is no longer sustainable. The government and the Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations (CCPA) have ignored our pleas for too long. This one-hour strike is a final warning. If our demands are not addressed, we will be compelled to launch an intensified, statewide movement," stated senior ACMS leader Lakheshwar Tanti during a demonstration near Moranhat.
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