GUWAHATI, July 15: A study conducted by Oxfam India has revealed a huge disparity between the “living wage” and actual wage of tea workers in Assam.
The study considers ‘living wage’ in relation to the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) concept of ‘decent work’ and ‘quality of life’.
Oxfam India is a leading non-profit organisation working towards alleviating inequality.
According to the estimates of the study conducted in association with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, “the living wage for a worker should be Rs 884 per day for a decent living in the tea plantation sector.”
The sample study covering seven districts of Assam however observed that tea plantation workers actually receive wages between Rs 160 and Rs 180 per day.
“The compensation for workers, for a dignified life, should include Rs 285 per day as expenditure on food items (considering four members in a family) and Rs 599 per day as expenditure on non-food items, both essential and non-essential utilities,” the study estimated.
However, the proposed living wage is 81 percent higher than the actual wages received by workers and 54 percent higher than the National Minimum Wage suggested by the Anup Satpathy Committee (2019), which is Rs 342 for Assam, it said.
Last week, Oxfam India launched a report, “In Defence of Living Wages for Tea Plantation Workers: Evidence from Assam”.
Conducted in association with Rahul Suresh Sapkal, assistant professor, Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay, the study also found that the daily wage of tea workers in Assam was much lower than the daily wages of tea workers in Kerala (Rs 403), Karnataka (Rs 349) and Tamil Nadu (Rs 333).
The research is based on a primary survey carried out across Biswanath, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Golaghat and Sivasagar districts between October and December 2020.
“The study is the voice of 5,000 tea workers and we believe the findings will make stakeholders in the tea sector work for their welfare. The study finds a stark gap between the current wages that tea workers receive vis a vis the living wages,” Oxfam India chief executive officer, Amitabh Behar said in a statement.
“We appeal to the government and tea industry to consider an upward revision of the wages to improve the lives of the tea workers,” he said.
According to the study, a ‘living wage’ should enable meaningful participation in the society which includes supporting a family, recreation, and saving against future risks.
In February this year (a couple of months after the study), the Assam tea plantation worker’s wage was increased by Rs 50 but the High Court stayed the order.
The current daily wage of tea plantation workers in Assam is Rs 204 after the new government directed to hike the daily wage by Rs 38.