Lok Sabha Question No. 3001 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-31
Subject: Tea Garden Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: VINCENT H PALA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3001 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.12.2018

## TEA GARDEN WORKERS

3001. SHRI VINCENT H. PALA:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

(a)whether  any  steps  have  been  taken  by  the  Government  to  ameliorate  the appalling working conditions of tea-garden workers in the country; (b)if so, the details thereof;

(c)whether  any  steps  have  been  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  to  implement  a uniform minimum wage for tea garden workers in the country; and (d)if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) & (b):  The Plantations Labour (PL) Act, 1951 regulates the conditions of work in plantations and provide for the welfare of plantation labour.  The Act requires the employers to provide the workers with housing, medical facilities, sickness and maternity benefits and other forms of social security measures.  There are provisions  for  educational  facility  for  the  worker's  children,  drinking  water, conservancy, canteens, crèches and recreational facilities for the benefit of the tea plantation workers and their families in and around the work places in the tea estates.  The  PL  Act  is  implemented  through  the  concerned  State  Governments for which separate Rules have been framed by them.

Moreover,  the  workers  of  the  tea  industry  are  covered  by  various industrial  and  social  security  legislations  like  Employees'  Compensation  Act, 1923, Payment  of Gratuity Act, 1972, Provident Funds  &  Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, (Assam Tea Plantation Provident Fund, Pension Fund and Deposit  Link  Insurance  Fund  Scheme  Act  1955  -  only  for  Assam),  Payment  of Bonus Act, 1965, Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, Payment of Wages Act, 1936, Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, and Industrial Employment (Standing Order) Act, 1946.

Tea  Board  also  supports  and  extends  certain  welfare  measures  for the welfare of tea workers and their wards/dependants, which is supplemental in nature. The labour welfare measures are undertaken within the ambit of the Plan scheme of the Board i.e. Human Resource Development component (HRD) under the overall 'Tea Development & Promotion Scheme''. This HRD component aims at achieving improvements in the  life and living conditions of the Tea Plantation workers and their dependents under  the three broad areas viz. (a)  Improving the health and hygiene of workers and their dependants; (b)  Education of wards of workers & (c) Training to the wards/dependants on workers.

(c) to (d): The fixation of minimum wages for tea garden workers, falls under the purview of State Governments which are the appropriate Government to fix/revise the  minimum wages as per the provision under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. Moreover, the wages of tea garden workers are fixed as per agreement reached between producer associations and workers unions.

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