A CORRESPONDENT
DIBRUGARH: As many as 13 major tea garden groups, having 133 tea estates in the Brahmaputra Valley, have so far declared their quantum of Durga Puja bonus for the workers. All the tea gardens have agreed to pay 20 per cent bonus which is the maximum bonus rate payable to the workers.
Speaking to The Sentinel, ACMS president Paban Singh Ghatowar said that 13 groups have announced their Durga Puja bonus till Saturday. They are Rossell India Limited, Joktoli Tea Company, McLeod Russell, Gillanders Arbuthnot, Goodricke, Andrew Yule, Stuart Holl, Laxmi, MK Jokai, Aamgoorie, Jorehaut, Assam Company India Limited and Amalgamated Plantations (Tata).
Ghatowar said, "All the 133 tea estates who have announced their bonus have agreed to pay the maximum amount of 20%. The tea gardens who have not announced bonus are expected to do so within a day or two. The process of disbursal of bonus will also start from Monday. A few of them will split the bonus amount into two installments of 15% and 5%. We expect 20% bonus from the other tea gardens too."
Under the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 (as amended in 2015), the minimum bonus payable is 8.33% while the maximum rate of bonus stands at 20%. All permanent and temporary workers who have worked for a minimum period of 30 days are entitled to the benefit.
Earlier, the Assam Chah Mazdooor Sangha (ACMS) had urged the tea industry to pay the maximum 20 per cent bonus to the workers and also to announce their quantum of bonus at least three weeks ahead of Durga Puja.
It may be mentioned that Assam has 803 registered big tea gardens, with the Brahmaputra Valley accounting for 705 tea estates and the Barak Valley accounting for 98 tea estates.
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