GUWAHATI, March 10: The Gauhati High Court has asked the Assam government “not to take any coercive action” against the Indian Tea Association (ITA) and 17 tea companies for not complying with a tea workers’ wage revision notification issued by the labour welfare department.
The state government had, through a notification last month, raised the minimum daily wages of tea workers by Rs 50 – from Rs 167 to Rs 217, following which the association along with the tea companies moved the court.
An order by Justice Michael Zothankhuma on Tuesday asked the state respondents “not take any coercive action against the petitioners in pursuant to the impugned notification dated 23.02.2021 till the next date.”
“Heard P. K. Goswami, learned senior counsel for the petitioners, who submits that the impugned notification, issued by the principal secretary, government of Assam, labour welfare department, enhancing the minimum wage by an interim amount of Rs 50 per day with effect from 22.02.2021 till finalisation of revised minimum wages, in terms of the state amendment to Section 5(1)(a) of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, is illegal, inasmuch as no committee/sub-committees have been formed as required under Section 5(1)(a) and Section 9 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.”
“D. Mazumdar, learned Additional Advocate General, Assam, prays that the matter may be heard on another date so that he can obtain instructions in this regard,” it added.
The matter has been listed for the next hearing on March 15.
Given that the tea vote could be a deciding factor in about 40 to 42 Assembly seats out of 126 constituencies, both the ruling alliance and Opposition parties have launched vigorous pre-poll campaigns to reach out to the tea community, which comprises nearly 27 percent of Assam’s population.
