Tea workers must be granted paid leave for vaccination: Assam Opp leader

 

 

GUWAHATI, June 9: Leader of the Opposition in Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia has urged the state welfare of tea tribes and labour minister to issue strict instructions to tea garden managements to grant paid leave to workers going for vaccination at nearby government healthcare facilities.

“I have received complaints from many tea garden labourers that whenever they go to nearby government healthcare facilities for COVID vaccination, the tea garden managements do not grant them leave and consequently the workers have to forgo their wages for that day. This is an unacceptable situation,” Saikia, who is also an MLA of Nazira Assembly constituency in Upper Assam, stated in a letter to the minister.

“As such, I request you to kindly issue strict instructions to all tea garden managements of Assam to allow paid leave whenever any labourer wants to go for vaccination at nearby government healthcare facilities,” he stated.

The Opposition leader further stated that the “managements may, of course, ascertain details regarding vaccination of individual labourers by consulting officials of the relevant healthcare facilities.”

“Further, I have been informed that there has been a shortage in supply of vaccines in the tea garden areas, thereby resulting in inadequate vaccination. The COVID testing process has also been lethargic. Only around 10 to 20 percent of the tea garden population has been tested so far,” he stated.

“I would, therefore, request you to take necessary steps for speeding up the COVID testing process as well as the vaccination drive in the tea garden areas of Assam,” the Congress MLA stated.

The same request has been made by Saikia to the labour welfare commissioner for necessary action.