DIBRUGARH, April 23 � The CPI(ML) and the Assam Sangrami Chah Shramik Sangha (ASCSS) on Wednesday staged road blockades at three different places in the district and burnt the effigy of Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) president and former Union minister Paban Singh Ghatowar in protest against the absence of ACMS representatives in the recent meeting of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board.
The ASCSS alleged that the absence of ACMS representatives in the meeting was intentional as the latter were against the payment of minimum wages to workers. The non-cooperation of the Ghatowar-led trade union with the State Government-constituted Minimum Wages Advisory Board indicates that they are against the interests of thousands of tea garden workers, said Mira Tanti, vice president, ASCSS.
Separate groups of CPI(ML) and ASCSS members blocked roads for about an hour at Lahoal, Tingkhong and Rajgarh as they protested against the ACMS. They slammed the Ghatowar-led ACMS, accusing it of exploitation and treachery. The ASCSS is pressing for Rs 330 as daily wages for workers. The organisation also reiterated its demand for the repeal of the recent wage agreement signed between the ACMS and the Consultative Committee for Planters� Association.
