Adivasi organisation protests in Assam's Dibrugarh, seeks minimum wages, PF for small tea garden workers

The Adivasi Yuva-Chatra Santha, Assam (AICSA) staged a protest in Dibrugarh on Wednesday, September 2, demanding the resolution of various long-standing issues faced by workers employed in small tea gardens across the state.

The organisation took out a rally from in front of the Dibrugarh Chowkidingee Sahitya Sabha Bhawan to the office of the Dibrugarh district commissioner, where its central committee staged a demonstration.

The protesters raised several demands, including assured minimum wages, provident fund benefits, payment of bonuses, safe transportation facilities and protection of workers’ human rights.

AICSA alleged that workers in small tea gardens have been facing various problems for a long time and said the government and concerned authorities should take greater responsibility for ensuring their rightful entitlements and benefits.

Central committee president Nipen Munda and general secretary Rajesh Kerketta urged the government to take immediate and effective steps to address the long-standing problems of workers employed in small tea gardens.

The organisation maintained that ensuring fair wages, social security benefits and safe working and transportation conditions was essential to protecting the rights and dignity of the workers.