CHAPTER 5 Conclusion Sharit K. Bhowmik he three studies presented in the preceding chapters show some differences but a great deal of similarities in the living conditions of tea plantation labour in India. In this concluding chapter the three States are compared and the main problems of tea plantation labour are addressed which need redressal. Wages The most striking feature of the three Statesis the difference in wages. While average monthly wage of the workers in Assam and West Bengal figured at around Rs. 600 per month, in Tamil Nadu they were around Rs. 850 per month. This means that the wages are about 40 per cent higher in Tamil Nadu. The only difference between Tamil Nadu and the two northern States is that workers in the latter are given a part of their wages in kind. They are given rations of 2.25 kg, of rice and wheat perweek at a subsidised rate of around Re 0.40 a kilogramme. Workers in Tamil Nadu are given rations at rates which are slightly below market rates but the quantity is more. The subsidy worked out to around Rs. 5 per day. Even if one adds this to the cash wage the total wage is still less than that of the worker in the southern States (daily wages in Kerala are higher than those of Tamil Nadu). The higher wages in the southern Statesis significant because they produce less than 20 per cent of the country’s tea while the two northern States produce more than 75 per cent of the total production. The output per hectare is higher in most of the districts in Assam and Dooars than in the southern States and the price the tea fetches is also higher. Hence one really cannot explain why despite all these features the wages are so low. At the same time it must be noted that even though Tamil Nadu has higher wages these too are not high when compared to Conclusion the wages in the organised sector. In fact Rs. 850 per month would be subsistence wage in urban areas. Housing The Plantation Labour Act lays down the guidelines for housing, health and hygiene. The States have passed the plantation labour rules which enforce these guidelines, While comparing these conditions in the tea estates in Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu we find that there are similarities between the two former States and differences with the latter State. As far as housing is concerned, Xaxa’s study shows that around 70 per cent of the houses are permanent. In West Bengal 74 per cent of the houses are permanent or semi-permanent. If the employers had adhered to the Plantation Labour Act all houses would have been permanent by 1969. In the Tamil Nadu plantations, however, the houses meet the specifications of the Act.' Sanitatipn and Water While the plantations in Tamil Nadu have adequate sanitary facilities where each house has a toilet or two houses are provided with a common toilet, the labour lines in Assam and Bengal do not have these facilities. There are hardly any latrines in the labour lines in Dooars and Terai (West Bengal). There are common bathrooms in some of the lines in Dooars. The Plantation Labour Act clearly states that there should be separate latrines and bathrooms for both sexes, These do not exist in any plantation. In Darjeeling each house had a separate latrine of the bore-hole type. Whereas flush latrines may be difficult to maintain because of the water shortage in the hills, one expects the managements to atleast provide latrines. This was not done in two of the gardens. The same is the situation in Assam. There are no toilets and women used enclosures in their houses to bathe. The situation in Tamil Nadu is considerably better. Houses have separate toilets or a group of houses share common toilet facilit?es which are adequate. Water for flushing is also available. The workers in Assam and West Bengal use the open spaces to ease themselves and tl'lis causes filth to accumulate and become fertile breeding grounds for hookwox_'ms and other harmful parasites. In fact anaemia due to hookworms is a common ailment in the tea plantations in these regions. 111