Tea workers protest across 5 Dibrugarh estates over pending demands

Dibrugarh: Tea workers, mostly female leaf pluckers, held hour-long demonstrations at five tea estates in Dibrugarh district on Thursday under the banner of the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), pressing management and authorities to address a range of long-pending demands related to employment, healthcare and living conditions.The simultaneous protests were held at Mokalbari, Kamakhyabari, Ganeshbari, Manabari and Dhalajan tea estates, with workers gathering at their respective garden premises to voice their grievances.Among the primary demands raised by the workers was the filling of vacant posts for permanent employees and sub-employees. Workers said a large number of positions have remained vacant for a considerable period, placing additional burden on existing staff and affecting both productivity and worker welfare.The protesters also demanded that medical facilities in the garden hospitals be made fully available and upgraded to meet the needs of the large workforce and their families residing at the estates. Tea garden hospitals in Assam are mandated under the Plantations Labour Act to provide basic healthcare to workers, but inadequate infrastructure and shortage of medical staff have long been a concern across several estates.Frequent change of tea garden managers emerged as another key grievance. Workers said the regular rotation of managers disrupts the continuity of welfare programmes and often leads to a breakdown of trust between the workforce and estate management.Housing facilities improvements are among the demands, with workers pointing to the deteriorating condition of labour lines in several gardens.“Our demands are not new. We have been raising these issues for a long time. The vacant posts must be filled, the hospitals must function properly, and the homes need to be in a liveable condition. We expect the management and govt to take these concerns seriously,” ACMS vice president Nabin Chandra Keot said. Thursday’s demonstrations were peaceful. Union leaders said if the demands are not addressed within a reasonable timeframe, the ACMS would be compelled to intensify its agitation.