The Wayanad Press Club on Friday received a pamphlet from the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) criticising the government for what it termed a nominal hike in wages of plantation workers.
Many commissions had been appointed by the State government to study issues of plantation workers. But, no decision had been taken in favour of the working class. Whereas it had taken many decisions in favour of estate owners, Ajitha, spokesperson of the Nadukani Dalam (squad) of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), said in the letter.
While the government had exempted agriculture income tax and land tax for the corporates, it only made a nominal increase of ₹52 in wages for the workers in the sector, she said.
Such a decision was only to protect the vested interests of the capitalist class. The life of workers in the sector was in crisis now as prices of essential commodities had increased manifold since 2015, she said.
Now, the corporates were bringing workers from other States providing low wages to bargain with the workers in the State.
The government was cheating the working class. The pamphlet demanded land, house, and minimum wages of ₹800 a day for the workers. A group of people, suspected to be Maoists, had vandalised a newly constructed service villa at Anakkunjimoola, near Attamala, in the district a few days ago.
