ATC tea workers stage fierce protest in Jorhat over delayed wage hike by Assam govt
Adivasi Students’ Association threaten street protests if promised wage hike is not implemented in two to three days
Jorhat, Oct 15: A massive protest erupted on Wednesday in front of the Cinnamara Tea Estate headquarters as tea workers under the Assam Tea Corporation (ATC) demanded the immediate implementation of a wage hike promised by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Chanting slogans against the government and accusing it of reneging on its promise, workers staged a strong demonstration outside the ATC headquarters.
“Himanta Biswa Sarma thinks of himself as the strongest and greatest Chief Minister, but he is nothing more than a deceiver. The promise he made in the Cabinet meeting was false. This proves he doesn’t even know the history of the Assam Tea Corporation,” said Pashuram Tati, Vice-President of the Adivasi Students’ Association, Jorhat District Committee.
Tati alleged that both Congress and BJP governments have historically treated tea workers as mere vote banks.
“Instead of giving us the Arunodoi Asoni benefits of Rs 1,200 a month, we need our rightful daily wages. If the government fails to implement the new wage rate within two or three days, workers will take their protest to the streets,” he warned.
He also claimed that private tea companies have already raised workers’ daily wages to Rs 250, while the government plans to increase private-sector wages to Rs 351, leaving ATC workers earning just Rs 205 for an eight-hour workday.
Due to the government’s inaction, tea garden workers have boycotted work for two days, bringing operations across several ATC-run estates to a complete standstill.
Meanwhile, the protest site was placed under tight security, with police deployed to prevent any untoward incidents.
Earlier, during a Cabinet meeting held a few months ago at Dergaon, the Chief Minister had announced that the daily wages of ATC workers would be increased from Rs 205 to Rs 250, effective from October 1.
However, even halfway through the month, the decision has yet to be implemented — a delay that has triggered widespread resentment among the workers.