Workers on tea plantations in the Assam region of India are systematically denied their rights to a living wage and decent working and living conditions. The fact that they are unable to meet their basic living costs is starkly illustrated by our finding that 50% of the households that researchers visited on behalf of Oxfam owned ‘below poverty line’ ration cards issued by the Government of Assam, making them eligible for rations of 5kg of rice per month per family member. Tea workers also struggle to get timely and good quality healthcare, access clean drinking water, and provide their children with a decent education.

The root causes are deeply embedded in the history and evolution of the Indian tea industry, which has led to a pervasive inequality of power between the women and men that produce tea and the brands and supermarkets that sell it to consumers.

For every kilogram of packaged Assam tea that is sold, tea brands and supermarkets take a sizable cut – up to 95% in some cases – while a marginal proportion – less than 5% – remains on tea estates to pay workers. These inequalities in how the share of the end consumer price of tea is distributed contribute to poverty and suffering for the women and men on Assam tea estates, while driving a sustainability crisis for the wider tea industry in parts of India.

Women bear the heaviest burden of systemic inequality, as they are concentrated in the lowest paid plucking roles and also shoulder most of the unpaid domestic care work. Meanwhile, plantation owners claim that laws making them responsible for housing, healthcare and education of workers and their dependents are challenging to implement – and therefore are not effectively executed.

Oxfam’s new research shows that the solutions lie in a fairer sharing of the end consumer price of tea, stronger gender policies and a review of plantation labour laws to ensure that women and men in Assam can lead dignified lives.

Addressing the Human Cost of Assam Tea: An Agenda for Change to Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights on Assam Tea Plantations DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

wp_template

wp_template_part

wp_global_styles

wp_navigation

wp_font_family

wp_font_face

acf-taxonomy

acf-post-type

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

exactmetrics_note

What’s changed for Syrian refugees in Turkish garment supply chains?
GuidancePublications

An estimated 650,000 Syrian refugees have fled their home country to escape bloodshed and have found a lifeline working in Turkey, with many working in the garment industry. Without these jobs, many families would face desperate times and would stru...Read More

Rapid Assessment on Child Domestic Work in Myanmar
Publications

The report gives an overview of the situation of children workers in Myanmar in the domestic work sector.

Cambodia’s trafficked brides: The escalating phenomenon of forced marriage in China
COVID-19 resourcesNews & AnalysisVideosPublicationsEvents

When: May 11, 2022 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Report launch: Wednesday, 11 May 2022 16:00-17:30 ICT (Cambodia/Vietnam) | 11:00-12:30 CEST (Austria) | 10:00-11:30 BST (UK) The number of women travelling from Cambodia to China for forced or arranged marriages has surged since 2016 and experienced a further spike...

The International Legal Definition of Trafficking in Persons: Consolidation of research findings and reflection on issues raised
Publications

Until December 2000, the term “trafficking in persons” was not defined in international law, despite its incorporation in several international legal instruments.The long-standing failure to develop an agreed-upon definition of trafficking in pe...Read More

TAGS: