Abstract

Assam produces nearly 53 per cent of total tea production in India and it is an outcome of the struggle of the Tea Tribe or indigenous people of central and east India who were made to migrate to Assam under extreme conditions and now they form one of the subjugated communities of Assam. Tea Tribe community has been waging struggles to protect their rights in the state. Tea production is a labour- intensive enterprise in which trade unions should ideally play an assertive role in shaping industrial relations and upholding the rights of Tea Tribe community. This paper tries to understand the impact of the trade unions on the lives of Tea Tribe and this study tries to find out whether trade union have a future in fulfilling the demands of  Tea Tribe community.

Keywords: Tea Tribe community, Trade Union, Migration, Socio-Economic Status.