Daily wages of tea garden workers hiked to Rs 250 from Rs 67: Moloy Ghatak

MP | 29 July 2023 | Kolkata: State Labour minister Moloy Ghatak in the Assembly on Friday said the daily wages of tea garden workers have been increased by the Trinamool Congress government to Rs 250 from what stood at Rs 67 during the erstwhile Left Front regime. 

He alleged that the Centre did not acquire seven of the 14 Duncans tea gardens after giving assurance in 2016. “Before our government came to power, your wage was Rs 67 per day. We had hiked it to Rs 250,” Ghatak said. 

While attending a social programme in the Alipurduar district in June last year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced a gift for the entire tea belt. She said that the tea garden workers would be getting an interim wage hike of 15 per cent. 

The trade unions had been demanding the implementation of minimum wages in the tea gardens for very long. 

A minimum wage advisory committee was constituted by the Bengal government in 2015 to look into the issue. While the trade union representatives had demanded Rs 248, the management was not willing to go up above Rs 220. 

The issue was resolved following the intervention of the Mamata Banerjee government. The interim hike of 15% worked out to Rs 232.30 initially. All operating trade unions held several meetings with the tea plantation owners to discuss the revision of the Extra Leave Price (ELP). 

Though the daily wages have been raised from Rs 67 to Rs 232 at present, ELP rates remain the same. During her visit to the tea gardens last year, Banerjee handed over Rs 25,000 to each couple as part of the Rupashree Welfare scheme. 

She also announced that it will further increase. She directed Ghatak to carry forward the process. The tea industry of Bengal engages 4.5 lakh employees with around 12 lakh people directly or indirectly dependent on it. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/daily-wages-of-tea-garden-workers-hiked-to-rs-250-from-rs-67-moloy-ghatak-527355