Jhapa. Nepal Tea Producers’ Association and workers’ trade unions have agreed to increase the wages of tea workers. President of Nepal Tea Coffee Workers Union Santa Kumar Rai said that after the ninth round of talks, the employers and the representative organizations of the workers have agreed to increase the minimum wage of the workers.

Jp Sharma, coordinator of the negotiation committee of Nepal Tea Producers Association, signed the agreement on behalf of the association. Similarly, President of Nepal Tea Coffee Workers Union Santa Kumar Rai, President of All Nepal Tea Workers Union Sita Sapkota and President of Nepal Tea Garden Workers Association Deepak Tamang signed on behalf of the trade unions.

As per the new agreement, tea workers will get a minimum wage of Rs 565 per day and a minimum of Rs 15,699 per month. The two sides agreed to increase the wage through talks held in line with the old agreement to increase wages every two years.

Earlier, the workers were getting Rs 500 as daily wages and Rs 13,893 as monthly wages. According to the agreement, the basic wage has been increased by Rs 39 and dearness allowance by Rs 26. Similarly, the basic wage has been increased by Rs 1,162 and dearness allowance by Rs 644.

Chairman of Nepal Tea Coffee Workers Union Rai said that the agreement reached between the employers and the trade unions of the workers will be recommended to the Minimum Wage Determination Committee formed under the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security of the Government of Nepal.

He said that the committee will take a decision on the basis of this agreement and publish it in the Gazette of the Government of Nepal. The two sides have agreed to implement the wage hike from July 1, 2018. Talks with The Nepal Tea Producers’ Association had begun after the trade unions of the workers started their agitation for wage hike from July 15. With the agreement, the wage dispute for the next two years has ended.

The district has the highest number of tea gardens in Nepal. There are two types of regular and seasonal workers in the garden. It has also been agreed to collect the details of the workers working in order to include regular workers in the social security fund by mid-October.