HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, May 21: Under the banner of the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), hundreds of tea garden workers of Basmati Tea Estate staged a cease-work protest on Tuesday, demanding the payment of wages that have been pending for the last three months.
The tea garden workers, holding placards and banners, protested in front of the office of the tea estate, located at Lahowal in Dibrugarh.
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Nabin Chandra Keot, Dibrugarh district ACMS secretary and central vice president, stated, “Today, the workers of Basmati Tea Estate ceased their work and staged a protest demanding regularisation of their wages. They have not received their wages for the last couple of months and are having a tough time running their families. The protest program was organised under the banner of ACMS.”
“The workers work for eight hours a day, but if they don’t get their payment on time, they face problems running their families. They have also not received their rations for the last two months. We urge the management to clear all their dues,” Keot added.
An agitated worker said, “The garden management didn’t pay attention to our demand. We have not received our payment for the last three months, and due to that, we are facing serious problems. The management assured us that from next month the problem would be sorted out, but nothing has changed so far.”
“If our problems are not solved within a few days, we will intensify our movement,” he said.
The agitated workers burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Labour minister Sanjay Kisan, and Andrew Yule management in a display of their frustration and anger.
Our Jorhat correspondent adds: The workers of Hoolungooree Tea Estate in Mariani, under the Titabar civil subdivision of Jorhat district, staged a sit-in demonstration within the garden campus on Tuesday, demanding the fulfillment of several critical needs. The protest, led by the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), highlighted the urgent requirements for timely payment of wages, provision of rations, and proper health benefits.
Holding banners and placards, the tea estate workers voiced their demands for the timely implementation of the Plantation Labour Act by the garden authorities. The protestors alleged that Andrew Yule Company, which owns ten gardens in Assam and employs about 20,000 permanent workers along with numerous temporary workers, has been negligent in implementing the Act, leading to widespread suffering among the workforce.
The demonstrators shouted slogans to press for their demands and cautioned that if the company failed to address their grievances, they would escalate their agitation with a series of protest programs. The workers, united in their cause, marched in a procession to the demonstration spot, reinforcing their solidarity and determination.
The Hoolungooree Tea Estate is owned by Andrew Yule Tea Company Ltd, which is now under scrutiny for its handling of worker rights and benefits.
