ATTSA to resume protest seeking wage hike, TE bandh on March 22

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STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Tea garden workers in the State are set for agitation yet again as the recent hike in their wage is still on tenterhooks. The All Tea Tribe Students' Association (ATTSA) has already called tea garden bandh on March 22.

The ATTSA had its central executive meeting on Thursday when it took a strategy to resume the protest seeking wage hike.

The association blames it on the BJP government in the State for the present situation regarding the hike in tea labourers' wage. The ATTSA feels that 'had the State government hiked the wage by September-October 2020, the issue could have been settled by now'. "It's because of the lacunae in the hurriedly hiked wage at the fag-end of its tenure, garden managements got a chance to challenge it in the court of law," ATTSA president Dhiraj Gowala said.

The protest did come to a halt after February 20, 2021 when the government issued a notification hiking the tea labourers' wage by Rs 50 to Rs 217. Prior to that, the State government did hike tea labourers' wage by Rs 30. When the BJP came to power at Dispur in 2016, the rate of daily wage of tea labourers was Rs 137. It has been raised to Rs 217 with the latest hike that has remained sub judice.

On the contrary, during the last Congress regime the rate of tea labourers' wage in the State was Rs 97. However, at the end of its tenure it rose to Rs 137.

The ATTSA doesn't want to spare the ACMS (Assam Chah Majdoor Sangh) either in the wage-hike episode. Led by general secretary Rupesh Gowala, the Sangha had all along been spearheading the protest demanding hike in tea workers' wage, but it left the protest all of a sudden. "It can't be taken at ease by the tea community. Rupesh Gowala joining the BJP overnight and getting a party ticket has hurt the labourers' sentiment," Dhiraj Gowala said.

Meanwhile, the incident of Rupesh Gowala joining the BJP has led the ATTSA also to adopt a resolution to make it mandatory for every member to serve a notice at least three months before leaving the ATTSA.

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