Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and deputy leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde on Saturday settled the issue of payment to sugarcane labourers by giving them a hike of 70%. Munde also declared the withdrawal of the labourers’s strike.
A tribunal of Pawar and Munde was formed to decide on the issue of payment to sugarcane labourers. The tribunal had a meeting for about four hours in the city. Both the leaders informed media persons about the decisions in the meeting but refrained from making any political comment.
President of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Sugar Factories Federation Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, state cooperatives minister Harshwardhan Patil, state labour minister Hasan Mushrif and representatives of labourers were present at the meeting.
Pawar said it was decided to increase the payment to labourers by 70%. It would be effective from the current season and would be in effect for next three years. Now, the labourers would get Rs190 for every tonne of sugarcane they cut. The commission of labour contractors would also be increased to 18%.
He said there are plans to start a group insurance scheme for labourers.
The minister said instructions have been given to government agencies to provide an effective mechanism to ensure education of children of the labourers.
Munde said that with the decision to hike their pay, the labourers’ strike was being withdrawn.
He said that there is a demand of labourers is that there should be insurance cover of Rs3 lakh for every labourer.
