The All Garo Hills Muster Roll Workers’ Union and All Garo Hills Anganwadi Workers Association in a meeting in Tura asked the government to address the problem of rise in prices of various essential commodities.
The All Garo Hills Muster Roll Workers’ Union and All Garo Hills Anganwadi Workers Association in a meeting in Tura asked the government to address the problem of rise in prices of various essential commodities.
There are almost 5,000 muster roll workers in the Garo hills, while the number of Anganwadi workers is around 1,300 who get Rs 1,500 per month as honorarium.
The unions want regularization of all muster roll workers. They are also demanding pension and gratuities, as their wages are meager and they have to do hard work. At present the daily wage for unskilled labourers is Rs 100, for semi-skilled Rs 120, for skilled labourer Rs 140 and for highly skilled Rs 150.
They are also demanding raincoats, gumboots and torchlights as the workers have to work under sunshine and rain, walk through thick jungles in the Garo hills, besides handling hazardous machines. The workers are also forced to spend from their meager daily wages to buy necessary equipment for work. They are also forced to work on national and state holidays. The unions decided that the grievances of the muster roll workers belonging to forest, public works department and public health engineering would be taken up with the government at the earliest.
They also decided to form a joint action committee to demand hike in the wages of anganwadi workers of Garo hills. The joint meeting also protested the unprecedented price rise of the essential commodities. The meeting passed a resolution to ask the authorities to contain price rise.