The workers of Tippuk tea estate of Tinsukia district of Upper Assam on Tuesday staged a demonstration at the estate’s executive office, regarding various issues.

Around 1,000 workers gheraoed the executive office of the tea estate, demanding wage and ration benefits.

The workers shouted slogans against the management and some of them got into arguments with the management. Police intervened but the agitated workers continued with their protest.

“We are not getting full wages and full ration. The management has been curtailing the benefits which we should get. We are getting 1kg ration in the lockdown but we should get 3kg. During lockdown, the workers have sprayed medicines in the tea bushes and worked for 12 days but they are getting the wage of only seven days,” a worker alleged.

The agitated workers on Tuesday gheraoed the office of the tea estate, violating social-distancing norms.

“We should get full wages because we are not responsible for the lockdown. We are daily-wage earners and depend on our daily wages. Due to the lockdown we are having a tough time and we demand that our the management release our full wages. We should get the benefits of ration as well,” said another worker.

However, the tea gardens are functioning with minimum workers amid the lockdown, after the government took a decision to reopen the gardens. The tea industry has suffered huge losses due to the nationwide lockdown.

Tea garden workers stage a protest in Jorhat.

The central executive member of the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association, Amit Karmakar, said, “The workers of Tippuk tea estate have not received the full wages of work. We want the management to release the full payment.”

He said the tea workers are having lots of problem due to the lockdown.

“Yesterday the management gave Rs 500 to the workers. We urged the management to resolve the issue of ration and wages as soon as possible,” Karmakar said.

The management of Tippuk tea estate said they would discuss the matter and try to solve the issue.

Tea garden workers are back at work in lower Assam’s Baksa district like as Nagrijuli, Menoka and Doomni tea estates.

“We have paid wages and ration,” a tea planter said.

Several tea workers said in such a tough situation, everyone should cooperate for the growth of the tea industry.

“We hope the tea planters will look after our welfare. Meanwhile, we have to cooperate with them in this current critical situation,” a tea worker said.

Additional reporting by Neelim Akash Kashyap in Nalbari