Unrest in Arkatipur tea estate: labourers gheraoed authority demanding wages

Unrest broke out in Cachar’s Arkatipur tea estate today when hundreds of workers and labourers of the tea estate gheraoed the authority along with manager of the estate demanding for the payment of weekly wages. However the situation brought under control by the labour unions.

The protesting labourers gheraoed the manager in the office alleging that the authority is not paying their weekly wages on time. They also alleged that the manager misbehaved with the labourers when they went to discuss about the wages with him. The authority of the estate has agreed to the demands of protesters.

“Weekly payments usually given on Friday, but for many days they are irregular in paying our weekly wages. They haven’t paid us last Friday, so today we have decided to gherao the authority, we have informed Cachar Cha Shramik Union regarding our move, their representatives came and had a dialogue with tea estate authority,” said one protesting labourer.

“If the authority promise us to pay our wages on time only then we will work, otherwise the estate will not function,” he added.