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ACMS slams ITA over ‘unilateral’ decision on tea workers’ wages

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GUWAHATI, March 24: The Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) has asserted it would not accept an interim enhancement of tea workers’ wages less than Rs 50 per day, as notified by the Assam government, pending finalisation of the rates of minimum wage, as per law.

The Indian Tea Association (ITA) had on Monday asked its member companies to provide an interim hike of Rs 26 per day to tea workers in Assam.

The ITA has apparently taken the decision in the wake of Gauhati High Court’s ruling that tea gardens managements would be at their liberty to determine and pay the enhanced interim wage hike to tea workers till the issue was finally decided by the court.

ACMS is the largest trade organisation of tea garden workers in Northeast India.

In a “letter of protest” to the Indian Tea Association, ACMS president Paban Singh Ghatowar reiterated that “the unilateral, ill-conceived and utmost malafide act of commission and/or omission in calculating the interim enhancement is summarily rejected by our members.”

“We further state that we are not inclined to accept an interim enhancement in daily wages less than Rs 50 as notified by the Assam government (vide notification  dated February 23, 2021), pending finalisation of the rates of minimum wage, as per law,” Ghatowar stated in the letter.

Expressing displeasure and disapproval, the ACMS president said that none of the concerned labour unions were consulted by the ITA before issuance of the circular to enhance the daily minimum wage of tea workers in the Brahmaputra and Barak Valleys

“Your unilateral and ill-conceived action and/or resolutions are expressly rejected as not acceptable, being against the principles of collective bargaining as has been followed as industry standards for decades. We accordingly call upon you to substantiate the rationale/basis of which the alleged interim enhancement of Rs 26 per day was arrived at by you and/or your members,” he said.

The ACMS leader further reminded the ITA that the government of Assam has proposed a composite minimum wage based on the Aykroyd Formula and other applicable guidelines of Rs 351.33 per day, which the organisation has been demanding.

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