Gauhati High Court stays wage hike for Assam tea garden workers

The implementation of the ₹50 a day hike in wages for tea backyard staff in Assam is probably to deal with some delays.

Adhering to a petition submitted by the Indian Tea Association and a host of seventeen tea organizations towards the February 23 notification of the Assam govt boosting the least wage by an interim quantity of ₹50 a day, the Gauhati Large Courtroom has purchased the condition govt not to get motion towards the petitioners right up until the subsequent hearing on March fifteen.

The counsel showing up on behalf of ITA and tea organizations argued that the wage hike announced was “illegal” as no “committee or sub committee was fashioned” as for each the Least Wages Act 1948.

Therefore, the counsel prayed the make a difference to be read on one more date to attain directions in this regard.

Listening to the petition, Justice Michael Zothankhuma purchased, “the condition respondents shall not get any coercive motion towards the petitioners in pursuant to the impugned notification until the subsequent date”.

Price-press

It is to be famous that the Sarbananda Sonowal-led govt enhanced the every day cash wage of tea staff to ₹217 a day, up from ₹167 a day. The sector expects the wage hike to press up prices by close to ₹25-thirty a kg.

The sector thinks that “the because of approach” was not adopted in the approach of asserting the hike.

The West Bengal govt experienced also announced a wage hike to ₹202 a day, as towards the before ₹178 a day.

Whilst the difference in wages for tea backyard staff in Assam and Bengal may perhaps only seem to be ₹15 a day, but this contains only the cash component. The gardens in Assam are also necessary to give ration to staff at ₹2 a kg. Hence the structured tea sector in Assam spends close to ₹17 a day on ration and this pushes up the in general expense by close to ₹30-35 a day.