This election season, there’s a storm brewing in Assam’s tea gardens
3 years, 9 months ago

This election season, there’s a storm brewing in Assam’s tea gardens

Live Mint  

Six years ago, when Thomas Kerketta visited Garih Jharia Maria, his ancestral village in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district, everyone treated him as an outsider. At his campaign rally in Dhekiajuli in the first week of February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of his government’s goodwill measures for tea-garden workers, even cautioning them against an “international conspiracy” to malign the Indian tea industry, but did not touch upon the workers’ wage demand of ₹351 a day, a promise the BJP made during the last election in 2016. The tea planters Lounge spoke to oppose the government hike, saying it doesn’t take into account the “in-kind costs” they are obliged to cover under the Plantations Labour Act, 1951. Until 2015, plantation wages were decided through agreements between tea associations representing over 800 gardens, with Abita taking the lead, and the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha, the labour union representing the 750,000 tea-garden workers. “The tea tribes in Darjeeling have been given ST status but it hasn’t happened in Assam as yet,” he says.

Tea Assam Labour Minimum Wages Indian Workers Wages Bjp Estate Act Minimum Gardens Tribes St Status Tte Oxfam Chaliha Private Buyers Kerketta Tea Gardens Plantation Workers Dhekiajuli Tinkharia Khesh Tinkharia Tea Estate  assams  tribes  tea  election  theres  brewing  act  day  assam  workers  estate  wages  labour  gardens  storm  season  minimum

History of this topic

‘Tamil Nadu govt should pay agreed MSP to tea planters’
3 weeks, 5 days ago

‘Tamil Nadu govt should pay agreed MSP to tea planters’

New Indian Express  

NILGIRIS: Opposition parties and DMK’s allies said government tea factories are paying farmers Rs 3 per kg less than the MSP fixed by the district committee for tea leaves. Speaking to TNIE, Manjai V Mohan, coordinator of the meeting and founder of Badagadesa Party, said, ‘In October, the tea fixation committee headed by district collector, Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneru, and the …

Calcutta High Court Directs Govt To Finalise Minimum Wage Of Tea Plantation Workers Within 6 Weeks, Calls It A Statutory & Legal Right
8 months, 4 weeks ago

Calcutta High Court Directs Govt To Finalise Minimum Wage Of Tea Plantation Workers Within 6 Weeks, Calls It A Statutory & Legal Right

Live Law  

The Calcutta High Court's circuit bench at Jalpaiguri has directed the West Bengal government to finalise the minimum wage of tea plantation workers within 6 weeks, under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.This comes after a coordinate bench had upheld the interim hike in wages for the workers and directed the state to finalise a minimum wage within 6 months. The …

Assam CM distributes ₹12.96 crore compensation to Doloo tea garden workers
2 years, 1 month ago

Assam CM distributes ₹12.96 crore compensation to Doloo tea garden workers

Hindustan Times  

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday distributed ₹100,000 each to 1,296 families living in the Doloo tea garden in Cachar district as gratitude for supporting the government in acquiring land for a proposed Greenfield airport. Assam CM distributes ₹ 12.96 crore compensation to Doloo tea garden workers The state government acquired over 325 hectares of land from the …

Assam small tea growers resent hike in workers’ wages
2 years, 4 months ago

Assam small tea growers resent hike in workers’ wages

The Hindu  

Small tea growers in Assam have resented the State government’s “unilateral” decision to increase the daily wage of plantation workers across gardens big and small to ₹232. The All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association said equating them with large gardens was an injustice on the part of the government. Government not extending subsidies: team growers’ body Assam has about 1.22 …

Bangladesh: 150,000 tea workers strike against dollar-a-day wages
2 years, 5 months ago

Bangladesh: 150,000 tea workers strike against dollar-a-day wages

Firstpost  

The minimum wage for a tea plantation worker in the country is 120 taka a day, which is about $1.25 at official rates, but only just over a dollar on the free market Dhaka: Nearly 150,000 workers at more than 200 Bangladeshi tea plantations went on strike Saturday to demand a 150 percent rise to their dollar-a-day wages, which researchers …

Independence Day Gift to Tea Workers, Assam Govt Hikes Daily Wages by Rs 27
2 years, 5 months ago

Independence Day Gift to Tea Workers, Assam Govt Hikes Daily Wages by Rs 27

News 18  

In a good news for around 10 lakhs tea garden workers of Assam ahead of the Independence Day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government on Wednesday decided to increase their daily wages by Rs 27. In a meeting with tea garden managements and workers’ union, it was decided to increase their daily wage by ₹27 over and above ration and …

Assam hikes daily wages of tea garden workers by ₹27
2 years, 5 months ago

Assam hikes daily wages of tea garden workers by ₹27

The Hindu  

The daily wages of tea garden workers in Assam were hiked by ₹27, the second increase in such payments since the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government came to power in the State in May last year, an official said on August 9. Mr. Sarma said welfare of tea garden workers has always been his government's top priority. He said the cash …

Assam Election: First Phase of Polling Could Decide Final Result
3 years, 9 months ago

Assam Election: First Phase of Polling Could Decide Final Result

The Quint  

Upper and North Assam has a comparatively lower population of Bengali-speaking voters and a higher concentration of ethnic Assamese voters, tea tribes and plain tribes like Misings and Sonowal Cacharis. But the BJP government's failure to fulfill its promise of providing Rs 351 per day wage to tea garden workers has left many dissatisfied. Three of the Congress' most prominent …

Amid parties’ bid to woo tea-tribes, a legal battle
3 years, 9 months ago

Amid parties’ bid to woo tea-tribes, a legal battle

Hindustan Times  

On Tuesday, the Gauhati High Court directed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Assam not to take coercive action against tea garden owners over non-compliance of a recent governmentorder regarding increase in daily wages of tea-garden workers in the state. The order follows another by the court on March 8 staying a government order issued on February 23 raising daily …

Assam Assembly polls | Pay revised wages to workers, Himanta tells tea companies
3 years, 9 months ago

Assam Assembly polls | Pay revised wages to workers, Himanta tells tea companies

The Hindu  

Assam Finance Minister and BJP’s chief poll strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday warned tea estate owners to pay daily wages to their workers at the revised rate or face the music. We revised it to ₹217 but a few tea garden owners went to the High Court against the revision in connivance with the Congress,” he told a crowd …

Tea Garden Owners Free To Decide If They Want To Implement Govt's Order Increasing Assam Tea Workers' Wage: Gauhati High Court
3 years, 9 months ago

Tea Garden Owners Free To Decide If They Want To Implement Govt's Order Increasing Assam Tea Workers' Wage: Gauhati High Court

Live Law  

The Gauhati High Court on Tuesday granted interim relief to the Tea Estate owners in the State of Assam by giving them the 'liberty' to decide if they wish to comply with the State Government's last month Notification directing them to give enhanced wages to tea workers. Earlier, on 08th March, the Court had restrained the State government from taking …

No wage hike in Assam tea gardens for now, says Gauhati High Court
3 years, 9 months ago

No wage hike in Assam tea gardens for now, says Gauhati High Court

The Hindu  

The Gauhati High Court has given tea estate owners in Assam the “liberty” to decide if they want to follow the State government’s order on increasing the daily wages of plantation workers by ₹50. Hearing a petition of the Indian Tea Association and 17 tea companies for staying the wage hike, Justice Michael Zothankhuma on March 16 said the interim …

Assam polls 2021: Priyanka Gandhi promises Rs 2,000 'grihini samman' to housewives, 5 lakh jobs
3 years, 10 months ago

Assam polls 2021: Priyanka Gandhi promises Rs 2,000 'grihini samman' to housewives, 5 lakh jobs

India TV News  

Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who is on a two-day Assam tour, on Tuesday promised that the grand old party will provide Rs 2,000 monthly allowance to housewives in the state if it forms the next government. Addressing a rally in Tezpur, Vadra said that the condition of tea garden workers has remained the same during the last five …

Assam polls 2021: Priyanka Vadra tries hand at plucking tea leaves in Biswanath - Video
3 years, 10 months ago

Assam polls 2021: Priyanka Vadra tries hand at plucking tea leaves in Biswanath - Video

India TV News  

Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who is on a two-day visit to poll-bound Assam was seen plucking tea leaves and interacting with tea garden workers in Biswanath. The video shows Priyanka taking instructions from tea garden workers on how to pluck tea leaves. Priyanka's visit to a tea garden assumes significance as the BJP government recently increased the daily …

BJP govt hikes daily wages of tea garden workers in Assam ahead of assembly polls
3 years, 10 months ago

BJP govt hikes daily wages of tea garden workers in Assam ahead of assembly polls

India TV News  

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Assam, the BJP-led state government on Saturday increased the daily wages of scores of tea garden workers from Rs 167 to Rs 217 per day, officials said. The officials said that the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has decided to increase the daily wages of tea garden workers from Rs 167 …

Assam govt provides financial assistance of Rs 3,000 each to over 7 lakh tea garden workers
3 years, 11 months ago

Assam govt provides financial assistance of Rs 3,000 each to over 7 lakh tea garden workers

India Today  

Ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in Assam, the BJP-led state government has provided financial assistance of Rs 3,000 each to around 7.47 lakh tea garden workers of the state. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday launched the 3rd phase of 'Chah Bagicha Dhan Puraskar Mela' programme in Guwahati, in which she distributed the third tranche of financial assistance to …

Assam Tea Garden Union Plans Sept Protests Including 'Massive Human Chain' for Fulfillment of Demands
4 years, 3 months ago

Assam Tea Garden Union Plans Sept Protests Including 'Massive Human Chain' for Fulfillment of Demands

News 18  

The Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha has called for a series of protests for the fulfillment demands including a raise in the daily wages of workers in the state. ACMS General Secretary Rupesh Gowalla said workers of all tea gardens in Assam will sit for a one hour ‘dharna’ in front of garden offices on September 16. “Tea workers from Dholla …

Assam Tea Union Demand 20% Puja Bonus for Workers Ahead of Festival Season, Assembly Polls
4 years, 4 months ago

Assam Tea Union Demand 20% Puja Bonus for Workers Ahead of Festival Season, Assembly Polls

News 18  

The Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha, the biggest tea garden workers union of the state has demanded the tea industry to pay a maximum of 20 per cent bonus ahead of Durga Puja festival. “We have asked the industry to pay 20 per cent puja bonus and three weeks ahead of the festival. There has to be a middle way,” said …

SC Seeks Govt.'s Response On Challenge To Non-Payment Of Wages To Tea Garden Workers During COVID Lockdown
4 years, 8 months ago

SC Seeks Govt.'s Response On Challenge To Non-Payment Of Wages To Tea Garden Workers During COVID Lockdown

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the State Government of Assam to respond to a plea seeking payment of wages and ration supplies to Tea Plantation workers within 10 days.A bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justices Indu Malhotra & Hrishikesh Roy observed that even though the bench is not usually inclined to interfere, it would do so in this …

Indian Tea Association hails Bengal govt's decision to allow skiffing; 15% of workforce to be deployed on rotational basis
4 years, 9 months ago

Indian Tea Association hails Bengal govt's decision to allow skiffing; 15% of workforce to be deployed on rotational basis

Firstpost  

Chairman of Chamong Tea A Lohia said the order would be more significant for the gardens in Dooars and Terai, and not for those in Darjeeling. Kolkata: The Indian Tea Association on Friday hailed the West Bengal government’s decision to allow 15 percent of labour force to work on a rotational basis to cut the old leaves at the gardens. …

Amidst lockdown and death, tea garden workers in Bengal demand wages
4 years, 9 months ago

Amidst lockdown and death, tea garden workers in Bengal demand wages

The Hindu  

The lockdown for preventing the spread of the coronavirus could not have had come at a worse time for the tea gardens of north Bengal, for it coincided with the flush production of the Darjeeling tea industry. Thereby, all stakeholders are advised not to take cognisance of the messages that are going around to the contrary in social media.” On …

A bitter brew: For Sri Lanka’s tea estate workers, fair wage is still elusive
5 years, 3 months ago

A bitter brew: For Sri Lanka’s tea estate workers, fair wage is still elusive

The Hindu  

“Half the blood in our bodies is sucked by these leeches. An elusive fair wage For three years now, Sri Lanka’s tea estate workers have been agitating for a daily basic wage of LKR 1,000, which they think is reasonable compensation for their backbreaking work of picking 16-18 kgs of tea leaves a day over eight hours. “The promise of …

Wage struggle stirs Sri Lanka’s tea sector
5 years, 11 months ago

Wage struggle stirs Sri Lanka’s tea sector

The Hindu  

‘LKR 700 it is,’ said Sri Lanka’s plantation companies earlier this week, fixing tea estate workers’ new basic daily wage. The issue of wages paid to the tens of thousands of workers employed in Sri Lanka’s famed tea estates has been a recurrent one in the sector that is known for the historic exploitation of its tea-pluckers, most of whom …

Industry aims to serve tea to schoolgoers to stir demand
6 years, 6 months ago

Industry aims to serve tea to schoolgoers to stir demand

The Hindu  

The tea industry aims to target schoolchildren to boost per capita consumption and is planning to do a survey before starting a campaign, Azam Monem, chairman, Indian Tea Association, said. Addressing a press meet to share the industry’s concerns over a three-day strike notice served by 28 trade unions in West Bengal, Mr. Monem said peak season work-disruptions would hurt …

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