What was the plight of the plantation workers of Assam?

The working class in the tea plantations of Assam is perhaps the most oppressed in the organised sector of the economy. Low wages, poor housing and lack of avenues for social mobility have been a recurring theme since the inception of the plantations.
Plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission, under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859. They were rarely given such permission.