GUWAHATI, Oct 30: With just a day to go for the tripartite talks involving Dispur, CCPA and ACMS on hike of daily wage of tea garden labourers AASAA has made it known that it is ready to accept anything less than Rs 350. Neither Consultative Council of Plantation Association (CCPA) nor All Assam Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) is ready to let the other off the hook on the issue of daily wage of tea estate labourers. At present tea garden labourers in the State are paid at the rate of Rs 137 a day, against Rs 94 till 2014. The last Congress Government at Dispur did fix the daily wage of tea estate labourers at Rs 177 and that led CCPA move the court. And since then the issue has been on the tenterhook. Talking to newsmen in Guwahati on Monday, AASAA general secretary Joseph Minz said: “Adivasis in Assam have been facing eviction, deprivation and oppression. This has led the community lag behind socially, economically and educatiolly. Tea estate labourers are getting a megre amount of Rs 137 as daily wage. The tripartite talk involving Dispur, CCPA and ACMS is slated for November 1, 2017 to fix the wage of plantation labourers in the State. Prior to that, we want to make our stand crystal clear that we won’t accept any amount less than Rs 350 a day. If the demand falls on deaf ear of the meeting, we’re ready to take a decision for agitation on November 5, 2017 when we have a meeting.”
