"Workers protest closure of Limbuguri tea estate in Tinsukia", 28 May 2022

Hundreds of workers of Limbuguri tea estate in Tinsukia district...staged a protest over closure of the tea garden factory and low wages of the workers. Office bearers and members of the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) and Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association (ATTSA) also joined the protest to extend solidarity with the plantation workers.

ACMES centra vice-president Raju Sahu...alleged that the tea factory...was shut down by the garden management a few months ago citing its inability to buy gas for running the factory, because of increase in gas prices...Sahu said [this] has adversely affected the tea garden workers.

"The garden management has been paying less than the minimum daily wages to the workers saying the tea factory gas caused them huge losses. At the same time they are reluctant to restart the factory citing abrupt hike in price of natural gas. The workers are entitled to minimum daily wages of Rs 208 but here the wages are not fixed. Sometimes they are paid Rs 140 or Rs 150 and sometimes Rs 170..."

"There are hosts of other issues too like lack of housing facilities for the workers, dilapidated conditions of existing staff quarters and absence of drinking water facilities. The workers have been seeking solution to these issues for last several years"...