Assam tea garden workers to stage 'peaceful' protests from Feb 10

DIBRUGARH:

Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) on Tuesday said they would start 'peaceful' protests from February 10 over the long pending demand to increase the daily wages of tea workers from Rs 167 to Rs 351.

“There are 6 lakh workers working in small tea gardens, and the condition is very poor. They are exploited by the owners of the small tea gardens. There are no fixed wages for them because the government has failed to address their issues. Even after knowing the problems of the tea garden workers, the government is not taking any initiative,” ACMS president Paban Singh Ghatowar said.

“We are holding a peaceful protest across the state to press for our 11 charters demand. For our Dispur Chalo programme, the government has not given us permission. But our peaceful protest will go on till they meet our demands,” Ghatowar said.

“Assam Tea Corporation (ATC) has 14 tea gardens in Assam and they have a total 25,000 workers but their standard of living is poor. There are no doctors and nurses in the ATC gardens, and the hospital is less equipped with modern facilities. We urge the government to look into the matter,” Ghatowar added.

The protest will be carried out in every branch from February 10 till their demands are met, the ACMS president asserted.

(Edited by Laxmi Chyrmang)