Tea plucking rate revised

Guwahati, April 9: Garden labourers in Assam will now have to pluck 23kg compared to 21kg earlier and will get an incentive of 55 paise per kg.

An agreement to this effect was signed between the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha and the tea industry at the BCP Hall in Dibrugarh at the end of a two-day meeting that concluded today.

The tea industry was represented by five employers’ associations — the Indian Tea Association, the Tea Association of India, the Bharatiya Cha Parishad, the Assam Tea Planters’ Association and the North Eastern Tea Association.

The employees were represented by the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha.

The employees’ forum has been demanding a revision of plucking rates engaged in Brahmaputra Valley estates, as the last revision was done in March 27, 1993.

To improve productivity, the new incentive will be enhanced for output above minimum task of 23kg, in two slabs.

The incentive earlier was 27 paise per kg if they plucked more than 21kg.

For the first time, a new category of garden output has been added to the incentive slab.

If a worker plucks 24kg to the average output of the garden, he or she would be given an incentive of 55 paise per kg.

The average output of the garden will be calculated on the basis of the past three years (2007-09).

An incentive of Re 1 per kg will be awarded if a worker plucks more than the average output of the garden.

The meeting also expressed concern on the growing absenteeism and agreed to jointly address the issue.

A source said the ACMS has decided to opt for counselling the workers to control absenteeism.

Source: The Telegraph