Tea garden owners free to decide if they want to give enhanced wages: Gauhati HC

GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court on Tuesday (16th March) granted interim relief to the Tea Estate owners in the State of Assam by giving them the 'liberty' to decide if they want to give enhanced wages to workers.

Earlier, the Indian Tea Association and 17 tea companies had challenged the February 23 notification of the Assam Labour Department which increased the wage of the labourers from Rs 167 per day to Rs 217 per day by adding an “interim amount” of Rs 50.

The petitioner’s counsel had argued that the notification was “illegal in as much as, no Committee/Sub-Committees have been formed as required under Section 5(1/a) and Section 9 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948”.

Justice Michael Zothankhuma of the Gauhati High Court on Tuesday said that the order passed on March 8 shall continue until further directions.

“Further, after hearing the parties, this court is of the view that liberty should be given to the petitioners to pay to the workmen any interim enhancement of their wages as they deem proper, till the issue is finally decided by this court,” he added.

The matter will be heard next on April 23.

With Assam heading for elections that will be held in 3 phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6, both the BJP-led Assam government and the Opposition have promised to increase daily wage of tea workers.

In 2017, the minimum wage of tea plantation workers was raised to Rs 167 per day after an advisory committee’s recommendation.