Guwahati, Sep 2: The Tea Association of India (TAI) Saturday advocated hourly wage rate for garden workers, which is permitted under the Minimum Wages Act.
The planters' body also lauded the Assam government initiative to organise a multi-stakeholder consultation in the presence of representatives of International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The meeting, held earlier in the day, was the first convened by the state government's labour department. The ILO was invited to advice on minimum wages and adequate wages for the plantation workers, TAI said in a release.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of various other producers' associations and labour unions.
ILO representatives maintained that sustainability of the tea industry should be taken into consideration while fixing the wages, PK Bhattacharjee, secretary general of TAI, and Dipanjol Deka, the secretary of its Assam Branch said.
“TAI strongly advocates hourly rates wages, the provision of which is there in the Minimum Wages Act,” they said.
Tea garden workers in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam currently get Rs 232 as daily wage, while the rate in Barak valley is Rs 210.
The workers are also provided ration by the garden management as a component in addition to the wages paid in cash, TAI officials said.
The last hike of Rs 27 in the daily wage was implemented in August last year.
