Post demonetisation, the Centre began laying emphasis on reducing cash transactions and encouraging digital payments. However, the move does not seem to have gone down well with over 30,000 tea plantation workers employed in 122 estates around Valparai in Coimbatore district.
A public interest litigation petition filed before the Madras High Court by A. Sridharan, a doctor by profession and a former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Valparai constituency, has brought to light the difficulties faced by the plantation workers due to their salaries not being paid in cash.
Difficult terrain
According to the petitioner, the workers in Valparai depend on 121 private tea estates besides the one owned by Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation, a government undertaking, for their livelihood. Despite slogging in remote locations, they were being paid just ₹274 a day.
Before the demonetisation, the estate owners used to pay salaries on the tenth day of every month along with a paid holiday for half a day so that the employees could travel to Valparai town and buy groceries and other essentials.
However, after demonetisation, the estate owners began transferring salaries to bank accounts of workers and this had “caused unbearable impact on the day to day life of the tea plantation workers,” an affidavit filed by the former MLA, through his counsel A. Mohandass, read.
A day lost
Pointing out that there were no bank branches or automated teller machines (ATMs) in the hilly regions, the petitioner said the employees lost an entire day in travelling to Valparai town for withdrawing their salaries from four bank branches and three ATMs. The workers had to lose a day’s salary if they wanted to visit a bank or ATM.
Referring to an interim stay granted by the Kerala High Court in January against implementation of a Labour Commissioner’s order to pay wages to Devikulam tea estate workers through banks and not in cash, the petitioner urged the Madras High Court too to pass similar orders for the benefit of Valparai tea estate workers. When the case came up before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M. Sundar on Friday, they ordered notices to the Centre as well as State government returnable by October 3.
