Shillong, Jan. 6: Over 80 lakh tea garden workers across the country will benefit from the Centre’s proposed amendment to the Plantations Labour Act, 1951, Union Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said today.
“More than 80 lakh workers in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam will be benefited from the proposed amendment to Plantations Labour Act, 1951,” Dattatreya told reporters on the sidelines of a foundation stone laying ceremony of the Regional Labour Institute here.
He said the amendments would ensure that employers of tea garden workers provide not only proper wages to them, but also ensure that health, ration, housing and other well being of the workers were taken care and linked with the schemes provided by respective state governments.
Union Minister announced an up-gradation of the ESI dispensary in Shillong to a six-bedded hospital to cater to the needs of the employees.
Dattatreya directed the state government to conduct fresh surveys to ensure that children below the age of 14 were not exploited.
“I have directed the Meghalaya state government that a fresh survey should be made and ensured that all children are in school and their lives as happy as any other children,” he said adding, “No establishments or factory should employ children below 14 years of age.”
The minister criticised the state government for its failure to utilise the workers’ cess it collected and advised that the amount be fully utilised for the very purpose it was collected.
“The construction workers cess amount collected by the Meghalaya government is Rs 80 crore and they have not spent much of the money. The amount should go to the very purpose of welfare education, scholarship and employment of construction workers,” the minister said.
The Regional Labour Institute, which was constructed at a cost of Rs 13.4 crore here, was aimed at catering to the occupational safety and health needs of the industries in North Eastern region.
The Institute would function under the Directorate General of Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes under the Union Labour Ministry.
