Nearly 500 workers gain as Hollonghabi Tea Estate disburses first puja bonus in Assam

Dibrugarh, Sept 7: Hollonghabi Tea Estate became the first tea garden in the State to disburse bonus to its workers ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja festival.

According to Madhurjya Barooah, secretary of the ABITA (Zone 1), nearly 30 per cent of the workers had already received their bonus payments about ten days back. The remaining workers were paid their bonuses on Friday, completing the disbursement process of the first instalment, Barooah informed.

The Hollonghabi Tea Estate, located in Tingrai under Tinsukia district, falls under the jurisdiction of the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha’s (ACMS’s) Margherita branch. Hari Nanda Garh, branch secretary of the ACMS, informed that the bonus disbursement benefited approximately 499 plantation workers.

Madhurjya Barooah stated that negotiations regarding the finalisation of bonus payments between the tea companies and the ACMS are nearly complete. “Except for Amalgamated Plantations Private Limited (of Tata Tea Limited), MK Jokai Group, and a few smaller tea companies, agreements for the majority of the tea gardens have been successfully reached. Disbursement will begin shortly,” he added.

It is worth mentioning that most tea companies have agreed to disburse the maximum permissible 20 per cent bonus to their workers, although some have opted to do so in two instalments. According to Barooah, companies such as The Jorehaut Group Limited, Rossell Tea Limited, Dilli Tea Estate Company, MK Shah Exports Limited, and Shri Vasuprada Plantations Limited have committed to paying the full 20 per cent bonus in a single instalment. However, a significant number of tea companies, reportedly facing financial constraints, have chosen to disburse the bonus, inclusive of ex-gratia, in two phases, Barooah told The Assam Tribune.