Rise of Daily Wage in Assam, Tea Labourers not Mentioned

Whether this is Diwali or the election strategy, Assam government has hiked the daily wage up to Rs. 450. The notification issued by the State Labour and Employment Department states that wages of unskilled workers have been raised to Rs.280 from Rs.150 per day.

The Wages for skilled workers have been raised from Rs.208 to Rs.350, and for semi-skilled to Rs.280 from Rs.150 earlier.

Further, Assam government also introduced a new segment called highly skilled job and allocated Rs.450 per day for this class of workers.

However, the government apathy towards the tea labourers remains the same with the daily wage of Rs 115. Earlier, the Baksa district committee of All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) alleged gross violation of Minimum Wages Act, 1948 and Plantations Labour Act, 1951 by the managements of the tea gardens and requested the President of India to intervene in this matter.

The student body in a memorandum to the President of India informed that there are almost 80 lakhs of Adivasis in Assam, out of which around 30 lakhs work in tea plantations. Assam produces 55 per cent of total tea production in India with a revenue income of Rs 20,000 crore annually. But it is a matter of regret that the people behind this huge income are always neglected both by the management of the tea gardens and the government.

The political parties reaching out the Adivasi tea labourers for vote but never tries to solve the burning issue like hike of minimum wage, education, housing facilities, drinking water, sanitation and healthcare. The miserable life lead by the tea labourers have never become the political agenda of any political parties. Each vote of Adivasi matters but their demands are being unheard since ages.