Dibrugarh, July 8: The Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) will stage a daylong hunger strike at Greenwood tea estate office in Dibrugarh on July 12 to protest against alleged non-deposit of provident fund of workers.

Greenwood tea estate is one of the 14 gardens owned by the Assam Company India Limited, a private company, in Upper Assam.

Nobin Keot, secretary of the Dibrugarh branch of the Sangha, alleged that garden workers were not getting their wages on time and the PF had not been deposited by the garden managements. "We have 30,000 workers under the ACL and for the past several months they have been facing immense problems as they have not received their salaries on time. Earlier, we had discussed the issue with the ACL management but in vain. Nearly Rs 30 crore as PF is pending for the last year."

Keot said Sangha president and former Union minister Paban Singh Ghatowar, and veteran tea tribe leader Dileswar Tanti will participate in the hunger strike. More than a thousand workers from the 14 tea estates are also expected to participate.

He further alleged that the ACL had taken a Rs 900-crore loan from the SBI, of which only Rs 300 crore was invested in the tea estates while the rest was invested in the oil and real estate sectors. He said doctors and managers working under the ACL are leaving their jobs as they have not got their salaries on time for the last six months. This has resulted in neglect of the health condition of the tea garden people. The manager of Maijan tea garden, one of the 14 gardens, denied the allegations. He added, "We have got a letter from ACMS saying it will organise a hunger strike at Greenwood tea estate office on July 12 about their grievances."