Guwahati: The Assam government on Monday issued a gazette notification approving a ₹30 increase in the daily wages of tea garden labourers, fulfilling a promise made earlier by the BJP-led government in the state. According to the notification, the revised interim wages will come into effect from April 1 following the recommendation of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board for tea plantation workers, which met on February 26.With the hike, tea garden labourers in the Brahmaputra Valley will receive ₹280 per day, up from the existing ₹250. Workers in the Barak Valley will see their wages increase to ₹258 per day from the current ₹228.The revised wages will also apply to labourers working in small tea gardens located in both the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys.
The decision follows approval by the Assam Cabinet on February 27, which cleared the interim wage hike ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Officials said the move is part of a broader effort to gradually align wages in the tea plantation sector with provisions under the new Central Labour Codes. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier indicated that the government aims to push daily wages beyond the ₹300 mark within the next six months. The revision comes after several rounds of discussions between the state government, tea garden management bodies and labour unions representing plantation workers.Tea garden workers form one of the largest labour groups in Assam and have long demanded higher wages, citing rising living costs.The latest revision follows the previous wage increase announced in October 2023, when daily wages of tea garden labourers were raised by ₹18.