Tea gardens across Assam’s Brahmaputra Valley fell silent on Wednesday as Assam Tea Workers workers stepped out in protest.The one-hour strike was not just symbolic it was a warning.At the heart of the agitation is a long-pending wage hike demand that workers say can no longer be delayed.
What happens next could shape labour unrest across the state’s tea belt.
- • Assam’s tea workers are among the lowest-paid plantation workers in India
- • Daily wages have remained stagnant despite rising living costs
- • Trade unions have repeatedly sought government intervention
- • Wednesday’s strike signals growing frustration on the ground
Assam tea workers One-Hour Strike Across Brahmaputra Valley
Tea workers across multiple estates in the Brahmaputra Valley observed a coordinated one-hour strike. Operations came to a complete halt during the protest period, according to union leaders.
Protest Led by ACMS
The agitation was led by the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), one of the largest tea workers’ unions in the state. Workers gathered within estate premises, holding banners and raising slogans demanding immediate wage revision.
Dibrugarh and Moran See Large Participation In Dibrugarh district, workers from the Rajabari Tea Estate in Moran joined hundreds from nearby gardens. Demonstrators highlighted worsening financial stress faced by plantation families.
Core Demand: Wage Hike to ₹351
The central demand remains a hike in daily wages to ₹351.Currently, tea workers receive around ₹250 per day. Union leaders argue this amount is no longer sustainable amid rising prices of food, fuel, and medicine.
Warning of Bigger Agitation
After the protest, memorandums were submitted to garden managements for onward submission to the state government. ACMS leaders warned that a statewide movement could follow if demands are ignored.For many tea workers, this protest is less about politics and more about survival. Plantation families often depend on a single daily wage, with little savings to cushion inflation. A stagnant pay structure, they say, has quietly pushed many households into debt and distress.
WHY IT MATTERS
Assam’s tea industry employs over a million workers directly and indirectly. Any prolonged disruption can impact tea production, exports, and local economies.For readers, this issue reflects a larger question: how long can traditional industries sustain growth without addressing worker welfare?
Previous wage negotiations in Assam have led to partial revisions, but workers say those hikes failed to match real inflation. Compared to plantation wages in some other tea-producing states, Assam’s daily rates remain on the lower side.
- No confirmation yet on immediate government response
- Union statements indicate intent, not a fixed strike schedule
- Any statewide agitation will depend on upcoming negotiations
- Authorities have not issued an official counter-statement so far
CONCLUSION
The one-hour strike may have been brief, but its message was clear. Assam’s tea workers are no longer willing to wait quietly for wage reform.If talks fail to move forward soon, the state’s iconic tea gardens could face deeper unrest in the coming weeks.
All eyes are now on the government’s next step.Assam tea workers protest across the Brahmaputra Valley as plantations shut for an hour, demanding a wage hike from ₹250 amid rising living costs.