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ASSAM CHAH MAZDOOR
SANGHA
ORIGINE :-
On
4th
May
1947,
the Indian National Trade Union Congress came in
to being in New Delhi. Subsequent to this the
Assam INTUC was formed. After that, a trade
union for the Tea Plantation Workers in ASSAM was
started by the then veteran leaders like Kamakhya
Prosad Tripathi, Bijoy Chandra Bhagoboti, Amiyo
Kumar Das, Keder Nath Goswami, Robin Kakoti,
Mahendra Nath Sharma, Ghanakanta Moran, Jadunath
Bhuyan, Dolbir Singh Lohar, Chanu Kharia,
Durgeswar Saikia, Jogendra Nath Rajmedhi, Molia
Tanti, Radhanath Khemka, Sarbeswar Bordolai, Durgeswar Saikia, Lakhan
Chandra Karmakar, Narad Kumar, Probin Goswami,
Mohitush Purakayastha, Chatragopal Karmakar, Sunil
Kumar Nag, Prafulla Sarkar, Harlal Garh, Dipak
Murmoo, Surendra Nath Mishra, Luthru Bhumij, Tarun
Chutia, Durga Prosad Khargoria, Patras Ekka,
Lokeswar Gogoi, Satya Narayan Ram, Bancha Saikia,
Hemanta Dutta, Mahananda Bora, Labanya Deka, Joy
Chandra Das, Santosh Kumar Sinha, Munia Bhat and
many others which was registered under Indian
Trade Union Act 1926 on District wise unit basis.
On
9th
August, 1958
the joint meeting of the Working Committee of
Assam Branch, INTUC and District ACMS
unified District Chah Mazdoor Sanghas into one
ASSAM CHAH MAZDOOR SANGHA organization
with Head Quarters at Dibrugarh to make union work
more speedy and efficiently.
The Union of
the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha has been established
on a democratic set up comprising of three Tires:
(A)
Central Level,
(B) Branch
Level, and
(C) Primary
Committee at plantation Level.
The ACMS
(Central Office) Dibrugarh is the registered body
under the Indian Trade Union Act. The ACMS Central
Office Dibrugarh Has
22 (Twenty Two)
Branches spread throughout Assam (Brahmaputra
Valley). Each Branch is functioning with
jurisdictions demarcated according to local
conditions and convenience with the primary
committee based at the plantation level. The
primary units at plantation level form the base of
democratic set up comprising of three tires in
more than
800
Tea Gardens in Assam. ACMS is very fortunate that
it owns approx 3,50,000 (Three Lac Fifty Thousand)
members who are working permanently in the Gardens
in Assam. ACMS also achieves success to some
extent in serving the needs of the Temporary
Workers who are equal in number like the Permanent
Workers in Assam.
AIMS AND
OBJECTIVES : -
On the applied principles of INTUC to
establish an order of society which is free from
hindrances in the way of an all round development
in its individual members which encourages the
growth of human personality and education in all
its aspects and goes to the utmost limit in
progressively eliminating social, political and
economic exploitation and inequality.
GLORIOUS
JOURNEY OF ACMS:
-
Ever since its inception the ACMS has been working
successfully to its credit as the only ONE and ONE
actively strong and effective union of the Tea
Plantation Workers recognized by the Tea Industry
as well as the State Administration (Refers
Bilateral Agreements
between ACMS and Employers Association).
The ACMS has an experienced staff more than three
hundred employees who keep regular contact with
the primary units of the plantations and the
workers on all matters of their interest, common
good and welfare.
Besides its work and activities devoted to main
enhance of Industrial Disputes through
constitutional manner following grievance
procedure. ACMS has ample functional success and
credit of many record of achieving and setting
worker’s right and demands through collective
bargaining.
ACMS has so far made several wages agreement for
the Tea Plantation Workers on industry wise basis
by holding negotiations with the Employees’
Association time to time till date.
In
1955,
quite a decade before the payment of
BONUS ACT
had come into force on
1965,
it was the ACMS, Assam which had successfully
concluded Agreements with Tea Employers’
Associations in the region to pay profit Bonus to
Tea Plantation Workers.
Various Industry wise Agreements, Collective
Agreements were reached between ACMS and
Employer’s Association where by the Tea Planters
Association provided to-day’s benefit and
facilities to the Tea Garden Workers in Assam
Valley.
This apart it has, under its control, set up a
centralized co-operative society under the name
and style of Assam Tea Employee’s Industrial
Co-operative Organization Limited (ATEICOL)
with membership confined to Tea Plantation Workers
and dividend is given to all share holders. The
Central Co-operative runs a Printing Press and a
Sales Division Supply Depot also.
ACMS provides financials assistance to meritorious
and needy students, hailing from the Tea
Plantation Labour Community in their studies in
Universities, Colleges and Schools. The credit for
providing Govt. facility like school uniform,
mid-day meal, hostel, rest houses in different
places to the students belonging to the Tea Garden
Workers Community goes to ACMS. High school in
Dumdooma and Sonari Circle managed solely by ACMS
and so on.
ACMS has produced two full length feature films on
welfare themes focusing the points on thrift,
family planning, adult education, health and
hygiene including sponsoring of the co-operative
movement. The film were titled ‘Kesasona’
(Pure Gold) and ‘Ratanlal’ and were highly
acclaimed by the Press, the public and the workers
alike, ‘Ratanlal’ was exhibited in
1975
at the Rastrapati Bhawan, New Delhi amidst
National elites.
In addition to this the ACMS organizes cultural
troop and festivals with the artists taking parts
from and amongst the tea plantation workers
besides others. In case of sick and ailing
ex-members of ACMS it offers medical aid and care.
The ACMS runs a craft training centre at Dibrugarh
and Tinsukia for training of girls hailing from
the tea labour plantation community on Tailoring,
Knitting, weaving and Embroidery.
The union publishes in Assamese a monthly organ of
its own in the name and style ‘Chah Mazdoor’ in
1969
which is continued till date in wide circulation.
It is remarkable that the paper was honoured with
national award on
17th Dec
1993
at Delhi.
Besides, ACMS publishes books in Assamese: -
“Tuchu Geetar Maje Maje” by Sri Sushil Kurmi,
“Gandhiji, Asom Aru Ashomor Chah Mazdoor” by Late
Robin Kakoti, “Swadhinota Sangrami Sramik Neta
Dolbir Sing Lohar” translated by Sri Bishnulal
Upadhaya, “Chah Bagichat Sikhshar Prashar” by Sri
Prahlad Tasha.
ACMS is organizing sports like ‘Inter garden
Football Competition’ and etc to encourage the
young generation with a dream to make player of
name and fame amongst them.
Since
1962,
ACMS is rendering contribution for an amount of
Lac and Lac Rupees and essential commodities also
towards national Fund Chinese Aggression and
Subsequent Cyclone, Earthquake and Flood affected
areas when and where happened till date.
ACMS is affiliated with International Union like
BWI which has larger membership and
is functioning as a harmonious whole in the Trade
Union Field in due discharge of its
responsibilities to the tea plantation workers
with loyalty to the Industries. ACMS is
sponsoring selected candidates to attend the
programme organized by BWI on different
tropics for awareness of the Tea Garden Workers.
ACMS achieves success to aware and to educate the
Tea Garden Workers to be fit to step with other
progressive nation in all aspects.
To-day’s ACMS, one of the largest Union in Asia is
the only one symbol of Unity, Solidarity and
Progress of Tea Garden People in Assam which
is no doubt possible specially for the able
leadership of
Sri P.S. Ghatowar,(M.P)
President ACMS Central Office and
Sri M.S. Khandait,
the then
General Secretary and also
Sri Rupesh Gowala who is now General Secretary
of ACMS Central Office are
serving ACMS in unique and versatile manner and
become renowned figure in the Trade union world
for more than three decades.
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