MOVE TO ENSURE WORKERS' FACILITIES... Tea sector pins hope on new central laws

TT, 21 November 2019 : Stakeholders of the tea sector have hoped that they will be benefited from a new central bill that seeks to provide facilities to plantation workers like in industrial units and a recent law that empowers the Union government to fix a national floorlevel wage for labourers.

While the Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Bill, 2019, is yet to be passed by Parliament, the Code on Wages Bill has already become a law.

The two laws will have wide ramifications in north Bengal where around three lakh people serve in the tea industry and are covered under the Plantation Labour Act, 1951.

Tea planters said they were pinning their hopes on the code on occupational safety bill.

"There are indications that once the bill is passed, it will subsume the Plantation BREW BOON SOON Labour Act and workers in tea gardens will get facilities like those in industries from the government. In that case, planters' fraternity will definitely be benefited. We have time and again pointed out the rise in social cost for workers over the years. Any reduction in the social cost help the industry," said Prabir Bhattacharjee, secretary general, Tea Association of India.

As per the Plantation Labour Act, tea estates are bound to ensure accommodation and healthcare among others to workers, and transport facilities to school children.

The Code on Wages Bill passed by Parliament recent- ly makes it incumbent on the Centre to fix a floor wage which would be based on geographical locations and skills of workers.

Further, states will have to fix the minimum wage, which cannot be less than the floor pay.

In Bengal, the state government is yet to finalise the minimum wage for tea garden workers.

A senior trade union leader in the tea sector said if the new wage rate was fixed, it would obviously increase the earnings of workers.

"We have been raising the demand for minimum wages for many years. Now that the Centre has made the new act, we feel it should make necessary moves and hold talks with the Bengal government," said Alok Chakraborty, a senior INTUC leader in Siliguri.

Political observers said the two new laws would be used by the BJP for political gains in Bengal.