Dibrugarh,
July 31: The general secretary of Chah Mazdoor Sangha, Madhusudhan
Khandait said that, though the problems of garden workers in West
Bengal are different from that of Assam, the new agreement has weakened
the bargaining power of the labour union in the state. However, he
will ensure that his workers will get a fair bargain in the process.
The ACMS is the only recognised organisation which can hold negotiations
with the Consultative Committee of Plantations Associations (CCPA).
It consists of 12 lakh labours in the Brahmaputra Valley.
While in Bengal the state government is also a partner in any discussion
or agreement between the labours and the tea-gardens, in Assam the
recognised trade unions and the CCPA take most of the decisions.
A meeting is bound to be held between the ACMS and CCPA in August
15, in which, the planters have decided to put forward the proposal
of linking wages with productivity. The CCPA was upbeat that the
proposal was accepted in Bengal and hoped that it will be accepted
in Assam as well.
Dhiraj Kakoti, secretary, Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association
(ABITA), said that the agreement in Bengal will also affect the
unions in Assam, and consequently have an overall effect on the
health of the entire tea industry.
The ACMS wanted the daily wages of the permanent workers in tea
gardens to be hiked by 50 percent – the present rate is 48.50
per day. However, after the trilateral agreement in Bengal they
were not sure if they could achieve their objective of getting a
50 percent hike in daily wages. |
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