Minimum Wages Advisory Board of Assam’s decision to fix the minimum wage of tea garden workers at Rs 351 has come as a boost for trade unions in Bengal.
The trade unions of Bengal, has also demanded a similar pay structure in the sector.
The Bengal government, too, had formed a board to recommend the minimum wage for tea plantation workers in the state.
“On Monday, there will be a meeting of the advisory board on minimum wage in Calcutta. At the meeting, we will insist that the board finalize a rate and recommend it to the state government. Three years have passed since the board has been formed and yet, no decision has been taken. We have made certain proposals at the board’s meetings but it has not taken any move,” said Gopal Prodhan, the president of the Dooars Cha Bagan Worker’s Union, affiliated to the RSP.”
This is the first time that a minimum wages advisory board has been formed to fix the minimum wages of the tea workers. Out of the 792 registered tea gardens in Assam, 685 are spread across the Brahmaputra valley while 107 are situated in the Barak valley.
