A protest has been launched urging to transfer an estate manager who imposes unfair conditions on estate workers resulting in workers losing their daily wage.
Workers of the Drayton estate in Kotagla, who staged the said protest on Monday (21) morning said that they had been informed by the estate manager that the number of days they are allowed to work would be limited if they fail to pluck the increased amount of tea leaves stipulated by the employers.
The estate manager in question had informed the workers in writing that they would be permitted to work only three days a week if they fail to pluck 20 kg of tea leaves a day.
Only those who reach the manager’s target would be permitted to work six days a week.
Plantation workers usually work six days a week and take their Sundays off.
Workers of the Drayton estate claim that so far, the employers have not given the increased daily wage of Rs 1,000, and that they receive Rs 800 a day.
In a context where the Wages Board has issued a gazette declaring that the minimum daily wage of estate workers should be Rs 1,000, during the past few days, protests were staged in plantations claiming that estate companies have imposed unfair conditions in a bid to reduce the daily wage.
According to local journalists, before the minimum daily wage of Rs 1,000 was gazetted, a worker was only required to pluck only 17 kg of tea leaves a day.
The workers, who protested the prevailing situation, had requested that the estate manager be transferred and steps be taken to pay the Rs 1,000 daily wage as ordered by the Wages Board.
The estate manager had told journalists that it was the employers who had increased the minimum amount of tea leaves to be plucked by a worker to 20 kg. He had also said that employers would be unable to earn a reasonable income, if that target is not met.
He had also alleged that the workers of the Drayton estate are not willing extend their corporation for that endeavour.
