Anand and Manjula are contract workers in Uttolalu coffee estate near Arehalli in Belur taluk. They are paid Rs. 263 per day. As in most of the estates, their family gets a weekly advance of Rs. 1,200 and a salary at the end of the month. “We have not been paid the advance for the last two weeks in cash,” Anand told The Hindu.
The estate manager informed the workers that the advance of Rs. 1,200 had been credited to their bank accounts (Jan Dhan accounts). “When I went to the bank, I was told that as only Rs.1,200 was in the account, I could not withdraw it. The officials at the bank said they did not have smaller currency to give us Rs.1,200. I need to withdraw a minimum of Rs. 2,000. For this, I will have to wait for one more week,” he said.
For the last two weeks, Anand, who has two children, has received no payment. This is situation hundreds of workers in the estates are facing. They have been purchasing grocery and vegetables from shopkeepers on loan. Anand said he did ask the estate manager for cash and was told that owners did not have any cash. “The estate managers do not have cash to distribute among the workers. When we insist on cash, they tell us to take our demands to Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead,” he said.
