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Assam increased the daily wages of tea garden workers by Rs 38 after consulting workers’ unions and garden managements. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, held a meeting with representatives of Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha and other tea bodies and discussed issues pertaining to wage fixation.
“The meeting decided to hike the daily wage of tea workers by Rs 38. With this, the tea workers in the Brahmaputra Valley would get Rs 205 from the existing Rs 167 and tea those in the Barak Valley would get Rs 183 from the existing Rs 145,”
statement from the chief minister’s office.
The Labor Welfare department, through a notification on May 26 last, has cancelled its earlier notification of February 23 this year, which had enhanced the daily wage of tea garden workers in Assam by an amount of Rs. 50.
The current daily wage is Rs 167 in cash. Tea garden workers wanted the daily wage to be enhanced to Rs 351 from Rs 137 based on the promise BJP had made during campaigning in the 2016 assembly election. But after forming the government, it increased the wage by only Rs 30 to Rs 167 per day.
“Since the February 23 decision of the government of Assam to raise wages of tea garden workers by Rs 50 was challenged in High Court, we considered it crucial to find a special solution in the interim. Today, we have made a headway on that. In consultation with workers unions and managements of gardens, we’ve agreed on upward revision in wages of tea garden workers by Rs 38 to be effective from February 23,” Assam’s CM added.
The chief minister further said that true to the "government's commitment and for the welfare of the tea garden workers, we will raise the remaining Rs 12 after initiating consultation with stake holders and we are confident that an acceptable solution will be found out very soon".
Tea tribes constitute 17 per cent of Assam population and 35 per cent of its electorate.