Senior Assam Congress leader Debabrata Saikia has written to the commissioner of labour welfare seeking paid leave for the tea garden workers in the state on the day when they go for Covid19 vaccination.
Saikia in his letter said: “I have received complaints from many tea garden labourers that whenever they go to nearby government healthcare facilities for Covid vaccination, the tea garden managements do not grant them leave and consequently the workers have to forgo their wages for that day.”
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“This is an unacceptable situation,” Saikia, who is the leader of the opposition in Assam Legislative Assembly, said.
He requested the labour welfare commissioner to “issue strict instructions to all tea garden managements of Assam to allow paid leave whenever any labourer seeks to go for vaccination at nearby government healthcare facilities”.
Congress leader Saikia suggested that the managements may “ascertain details regarding vaccination of individual labourers by consulting officials of the relevant healthcare facility”.
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Saikia said as per information received by him “there has been shortage in supply of vaccines in the tea garden areas” which has resulted in “inadequate” vaccination of the tea garden workers.
“The Covid testing process has also been lethargic. Only around 10-20% of the tea garden population has been tested so far,” the Assam Congress leader alleged.
the Congress leader requested the labour welfare commissioner to take necessary steps for speeding up the Covid19 testing process as well as the vaccination drive in the tea garden areas of Assam.