Historic Victory for Assam's Temporary Tea Workers on May Day Wages
Significant Achievement for Tea Garden Workers
Tea garden workers in Assam (Photo: AT)
DIBRUGARH, May 1: A significant breakthrough has been achieved for temporary tea garden workers in Assam, as the Assam Tea Labour Union (ATLU) successfully secured May Day wages for casual laborers, which union leaders are calling a ‘historic milestone’.
This development followed a dispute resolution meeting at the Assistant Labour Commissioner's office in Tinsukia, where long-standing issues faced by temporary workers at MK Tea Export Limited were addressed. This specifically involved workers from the Daimukhia tea estate, now known as Roseberry tea estate, and the Baghjan tea estate, located in the Doomdooma and Makum constituencies, respectively, as stated by Israil Nanda, ATLU's general secretary and senior vice-president of the National Front of Indian Trade Unions.
For many years, temporary tea workers were denied wages for May 1 (International Workers’ Day), even during official closures. However, after a year of persistent protests and efforts by the Union, the management of Baghjan Tea Estate has agreed to pay the outstanding May Day wages for 2025 within the next six weeks.
Union representatives celebrated this outcome as a landmark victory, emphasizing that this is the first instance where such workers will receive compensation for the holiday. They attributed this success to relentless advocacy and collective action. The impartial intervention of the Assistant Labour Commissioner of Tinsukia was also acknowledged, as it played a crucial role in delivering justice to the affected workers.
The meeting included representatives from estate management, tea workers’ association members, and key union leaders, such as ATLU General Secretary Izrail Nanda, Garden Unit President Binanda Nanda, and Secretary Bilap Nanda.
According to the ATLU general secretary, this decision is anticipated to set a precedent for similar cases throughout the region, providing renewed hope to thousands of temporary tea workers striving for fair treatment and labor rights.