DIBRUGARH, Nov 30 - Irked over All Adivasi Students� Association of Assam�s (AASAA) continuous agitations over the tea garden workers� wage across the State, the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), which has been severely criticized for allegedly not endorsing the government�s latest proposal of total Rs 177.19 wage, has said that the Adivasi students� organisation was engaged in false propaganda.
Dileswar Tanti, general secretary, ACMS stated that the trade union had never opposed the government�s proposal of Rs 177.19. In the last tripartite talk with the government and the planters� body, Tanti said that ACMS had only put forward its position as per its earlier traditional agreement with the planters� body, in which wages were fixed at Rs 115 for the year 2015, Rs 126 for the year 2016 and Rs 137 for the year 2017 for the plantation workers of Brahmaputra valley. AASAA is committing offense by misleading the people and causing harm to the credibility of the ACMS, Tanti said.
The ACMS leaders said that the State Government had initially declared Rs 169 as the minimum wage for the plantation workers but later it came out with a draft notification of cash Rs 143 and with other benefits added total rupees 177.19. Since the planters� body has lodged complaint with the Gauhati High Court with regard to the wage, the trade union said that it would be suitable for AASAA to wait for the decision of the Court.
