Tea workers rally in Tinsukia seeking ST status, wage hike

DIBRUGARH: The All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (Aasaa) on Monday organised a mammoth rally of tea garden workers in Doomdooma, Tinsukia district seeking Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the 70-lakh-odd Adivasi people living in the state. The protesters marched to the residence of Durga Bhumij, the Doomdooma Congress MLA, and staged a demonstration for over an hour.
“MLAs belonging to the tea tribe community have failed to communicate our demand to the Centre. Our brethren in other states are recognised as STs whereas we have been deprived of the status since Independence. How can there be two different identities of a community in different states?” the association’s general secretary Deben Urang said. Slamming the Centre over “false promises” made to them during polls, Urang added, “Before every election, the tea tribe people are promised of ST status but it never happens.
The Adivasi community is used merely as a vote bank by political parties. The tea garden workers are one of the biggest contributors to the state’s economy but they are the most deprived and exploited people.”
The body’s general secretary also demanded an increase in daily wages of garden workers from the Rs 167 to Rs 351. “The BJP had promised to hike daily wages of tea garden workers to Rs 351 before the 2016 election. Recently, they made a nominal hike of Rs 30 from Rs 137 to Rs 167. It is very unfortunate that the tea garden workers in Assam are paid paltry wages compared to other states. Tea garden workers in Kerala are paid a minimum daily wage of Rs 310”.