STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The state government’s order asking tea workers to work on another day against a paid holiday on account of ‘Karam Puja’ on 25 September, 2023 has irked the tea tribe community and the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA) was quick to condemn the order.
ATTSA president Dhiraj Gowala issued a statement in response to the order, saying, “We have never seen any community of Assam being made to work in place of a community holiday declared by the government for a festival. This is an injustice towards tea workers. If tea workers have to work on a Sunday or any other garden holiday for the occasion of Karam Puja by declaring a paid holiday, it is an insult to the community and the festival. It is better to have no holiday at all.” Gowala further alleged that the government is more concerned about the tea garden owners rather than the workers.
“Tea garden workers are also human and have every right to celebrate their own festival. There is no reason for the government to hold a meeting and pass an order to declare a holiday. If they so wish, tea workers can take a paid holiday to work on any other day,” he added.
The ATTSA president was reacting to an order by the state Labour Welfare department which was issued to declare a paid holiday on the occasion of Karam Puja, a unique festival of the tea tribes. What raised the ire of the ATTSA was the line in the order that said, “In lieu of the above holiday, the garden workers will work on any other garden holiday or weekly day of rest, to be decided by the respective Tea Garden Management.”
Dhiraj Gowala insisted that if the tea workers had to work on another day in place of the day of Karam Puja, which falls on September 25, they can choose a day by themselves instead of the tea garden management deciding for them.
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