The Assam government on Friday decided to hike the daily wage of tea plantation workers by ₹38.
The decision was taken at a meeting on wage fixation between Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and representatives of Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) and other tea bodies.
The wage of tea workers, who are a deciding factor in 45 of Assam’s 126 Assembly constituencies, was a major election issue. The tea workers had largely backed the Bharatiya Janata Party despite a “guarantee” by the Congress to hike their wages to ₹365 a day.
Officials said the hike, after implementation with retrospective effect from February 23, will take the daily wage of a tea worker in the Brahmaputra Valley from the current ₹167 to ₹205. For the Barak Valley, the hike will be from ₹145 to ₹183.
On February 23, the former Sarbananda Sonowal government had hiked the daily wage by ₹50 but the decision could not be implemented because of a Gauhati High Court order.
“True to the government’s commitment and for the welfare of the tea garden workers, the remaining ₹12 would be added after initiating consultation with the stakeholders,” Dr. Sarma said, exuding confidence that an acceptable solution would be found soon.
Minister for Industries and Commerce Chandra Mohan Patowary, Minister for Tea Tribe Welfare Sanjay Kisan, MP Pallab Lochan Das, MLA Rupesh Gowala and ACMS president Paban Singh Ghatowar attended the meeting.
