DIBRUGARH, Sept 6 - Several student organizations, including Assam Tea Tribes� Students Association (ATTSA) and All Assam Adivasi Students� Association (AASAA) today said that the revised wage proposed by the government must be implemented at all cost.
Disapproving the objection raised by the Consultative Committee of Planters� Association (CCPA) and condemning the state government�s delay in implementing the revised wage for the plantation workers, ATTSA today burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Sarbnanda Sonowal and Labour Welfare Minister Pallab Lochan Das in almost all the tea estates across the state. In the district here, the ATTSA activists supported by the garden workers burnt the effigies of the Ministers in several tea estates like Mancotta, Lepetkata, Dewanbari, Medela, Bolai, Edda and Borborooah, Moran, Bamunbari, Rajgarh, Nilmoni, Joonktolie, Dirai, Longboijan, Karangani, Teenali, Tiloijan etc.
The ATTSA demanded that the state government should immediately enforce the revised wage as proposed. ATTSA�s demonstration with the burning of the effigies of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Labour Welfare Minister Pallab Lochan Das in tea gardens across the state was supported by AASAA.
Stephen Lakra while condemning CCPA�s objection to proposed revised minimum wage, also rejected the committee set up by the Government of Assam to scrutinize the objections and take views and suggestions from individuals and organizations.
�This is nothing but a ploy of both the government and the CCPA to deprive the tea workers of their basic human needs. CCPA and the government must settle the wage issue by September 20, failing which they would face economic blockade thereafter in all the tea gardens,� said the AASAA leaders.
The Adivasi students� body said that if wage revision is done on the basis of the guidelines of International Labour Organisation, and in accordance with the judgement of the Supreme Court of India and recommendations of the 15th Indian Labour Conference, 1957 considering the present Consumer Price Index (CPI), the Minimum Wage of the Assam tea workers should be more than Rs 400 whereas AASAA and other workers� union are asking only for Rs 350.
