‘Illegal to treat them as bonded labourers’
SHILLONG: The Department of Sericulture and Weaving is facing allegations that it did not attempt to regularise the salaries of labourers despite a steady rise in prices in the State.
Angela Rangad, a member of TUR, told media persons on Thursday that the department neither regularised labourers working since 1971 nor granted leave or pension to them.
“It is the right of every worker to get support after retirement because without them, there will be no sericulture department,” she said.
A delegation of TUR and sericulture workers wanted to meet Minister of Sericulture and Weaving Clement Marak on Thursday but he was reportedly out of station.
The labourers demanded regularisation of their services, protection of all rights and benefits, including revision of wages, to ensure transparency and accountability in the functioning of the Department and industry of the State.
Rita Mary Khongshah, a sericulture worker, said the authorities allegedly told the labourers that their salaries were paid after the State government took loans. “We were asked to work in fits and starts. This year we were asked to stop work on September 20, 2016. In November, we were asked to join again to hoe and plough the farm, but we were told that we would be hired as contract labourers,” she added.
Last year, the labourers were asked to stop work in October, were recalled in January on contract basis and again in February they were made to work for only 13 days for manuring the bushes. The workers were jobless for the entire month of March and were again recalled from April to September 20.
“We expressed our unhappiness about being engaged as contract workers though we made it clear that we would work as we needed to earn. After we gave our representation we were asked to stop work,” she said.
There are more than 100 sericulture farms across the state and the manpower involved in these large farms is miniscule, claimed Rangad. “It is illegal to treat them as bonded labourers. They are almost treated like slaves,” she said.
Khongshah said the skilled workers were asked to take salary of Rs 203 for working 20 days in September as there is no fund and no sanction from the State.
“The authorities would tell us time and again that there is no sanction,” she added. Slamming the ‘event-based government’ for using ryndia silk to felicitate dignitaries but ignoring the plight of the people instrumental in taking care of the sericulture activities, Rangad said, “It is a labourious task to take care of the plants, scaring away the birds who would eat the mulberry bushes, taking care of the cocoon etc.”
“It’s an environment-friendly industry as it can provide livelihood to a number of people and the government should be concern. The workers are the backbone of the industry as without them there will be no fashion shows and no designers,” Rangad said.