BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 18th September 2025: Ahead of Durga Puja, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Wednesday staged a protest in front of the Labor Department office here, pressing for several demands in the interest of workers, including timely payment of festival bonuses and pending wages.
Addressing reporters, CITU state leader Manik Dey said the organization had earlier submitted a written demand to the authorities, urging them to ensure that workers across all sectors receive their bonuses at least 15 days before the Sharad Utsav.
“In most labor sectors, a tripartite agreement was signed to pay the bonuses at the prescribed rate at least 10 days before the festival. However, till today we have not seen any initiative from the employers to implement it. The Labor Department too has not played any visible role,” Dey said.
He alleged that in past years, several employers either denied bonuses altogether or arbitrarily paid lesser amounts, violating contractual terms. “Workers cannot protest out of fear of losing their jobs. The Labor Department is not unaware of this reality,” he added.
CITU also raised the issue of non-payment of wages to REGA and TUEP workers by block authorities and municipal bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation.
“In the interest of protecting the acquired rights of workers, we demand that the Labor Department take immediate steps to ensure timely payment of bonuses and release of pending wages before Durga Puja,” Dey urged.
