‘Wages of the bidi workers in Bengal to be increased’

Kolkata: State Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak in the Assembly on Friday said that the wages of the bidi workers in Bengal will soon be increased and they will be brought under the ESI coverage.

During a question-and-answer session on the floor of the House, Ghatak said that there are around 13,04,083 bidi workers in the state whose wages will be hiked. The minister also added that the bidi workers now avail the Swasthya Sathi scheme. They will be added under ESI coverage.

Sources said that a bidi worker gets around Rs 237.58 for tying 1000 bidis but the price will be hiked. The wages for the workers vary from the city to the districts. The department has recently discussed an increase in the minimum wages for workers in all sectors.

The meeting also discussed the introduction of minimum wages for tea garden workers as well.

With the aim of providing minimum wages to the unorganised workers, the State Labour Department has constituted ‘West Bengal Minimum Wages Advisory Board’. Discussions have been taking place about increasing minimum wages of the unorganised workers in different sectors like jute and hosiery manufacturing as well.

State Labour minister had recently said the daily wages of tea garden workers have been increased by the Trinamool Congress government to Rs 250 from what stood at Rs 67 during the erstwhile Left Front regime.

He alleged that the Centre did not acquire seven of the 14 Duncans tea gardens after giving assurance in 2016. Before the Mamata Banerjee government came to power, the wage was Rs 67 per day. The state had hiked it to Rs 250.