SIT-IN-DEMONSTRATION OF TEA-WORKERS
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The workers-members of the various tea-garden unit committees of of Assam Mojuri Srameek Union of Cachar District of Assam staged a sit-in-demonstration on 15th Sept 2011 in front of Asstt. Labour Commissioner Office in support of their demands mentioned in the memorandum submitted to all concerned and appealed to all the right-minded people through the media to come out in support of their demands for amelioration of their distressed and dejected livelihood status. The inhuman slave like treatment meted out to them is detrimental to the overall welfare of the whole society at large.
ASOM MOJURI SRAMEEK UNION
Regd
No. 2287
Ref :
Date:
 |
A section of worker-members of the
unit committees of various tea-gardens
of Cachar Ditrcict staging sit-in-demonstration
|
To,
The Asstt. Labour Commissioner (State)
Sub : Wage parity between Barak – Brahmaputra
valley tea-workers, Wage enhancement and Need based minimum wage for
tea-workers.
Sir,
We, on behalf of Assam Mojuri Srameek Union, Barak Zonal
Committee, which has its units in various tea-industries of this region, would
like to draw your kind attention to the following points for your perusal and
needful action.
(1)
Sir, when a tea worker of Brahmaputra Valley is getting the wage of Rs.72 a
day in cash in addition to the 3.25 Kg
of cereals per week food-grains at 40 P a Kg and free wood for fuel that
added up to an amount of not more than Rs.20 a day, a tea-worker of Barak
Valley is getting a measly amount of around Rs.55 a day in cash. Moreover, during
the every wage-increase on the basis of the stipulated slab-wise increment, the
increase of real wage is offset and lowered cunningly by simultaneously
increasing the task (Nirikh). This is gross violation of the principle of equal
wages for equal work and these anomalies should be eradicated forthwith by
maintaining parity in wages and the task of 18kg plucking should be maintained
till it is revised in the next round of negotiation .
(2)
When the MGNREGA-workers who are
considered as unskilled rural manual workers are getting the daily wage of Rs.130/worker,
the present daily wage of tea-worker of
(3)
The 15th Indian Labour Conference held in 1957 stipulated that
the need based minimum wage for all industrial workers should be calculated
covering the food and living requirements of three units consumption. Under
this guideline and in view of the present consumer price index (CPI), the
tea-worker’s wage will be much more than the double of the existing wage. The
resistance of the employer’s associations to consider 1.5 units instead of 3
units in case of calculating the tea-worker’s wage on the ground that the
engagement of both male & female workers implies two earners in the family
is absolutely unfounded & baseless. There are ample evidences contrary to
their claim. Moreover, as the existing wage is much less than the half of need
based minimum wage that would have been determined by the Wage Board under the
guideline enshrined in the declaration of Indian Labour Conference and the
exiting CPI, the workers are extra-economically coerced to accept less than
bare minimum wage that would have been the actual wage, if calculated on the
basis of the ill-founded logic of the employer’s too. So, an immediate revision-process
of the wage-structure of tea-workers of Barak
Valley vis-à-vis Assam needs to be initiated taking our Union , which is one of the genuine representatives of the
tea-workers, into confidence.
(4)
20% Bonus along with 5% ex-gratia
should be paid to each worker before the forthcoming puja-festival.
Yours faithfully
Copy to – (1) Honourable Cabinet Minister, Ministry of
Labour, Dispur , Assam
