Factory shut over bonus row....... Estate work suspended

TT, Jalpaiguri, Oct. 9: The management of a plywood manufacturing factory at Odlabari declared a lockout at the unit today following frequent demonstrations by workers to demand higher bonus.

The Dosmit Plywood Factory Limited in Malbazar subdivision has 405 workers who now doubt if they will get the due wages and bonus before Durga Puja.

"The management had unilaterally announced 8.33 per cent bonus, which is the minimum rate allowed under the law. Besides, labourers were not paid the wages for the past week. These things prompted the labourers to hold hour-long demonstrations at the entrance to the factory everyday in the past seven-10 days, demanding a higher rate of bonus and immediate payment of due wages," said Shankar Biswas, a CPM leader Malbazar.

He is in charge of the CITU unit at the factory. The CITU is the predominant union at the factory which is owned by Roshanlal Agarwal.

Sources said the management had locked out the factory apprehending law and order problems following frequent protests by the labourers.

Odlabari is 50km from here.

Krishna Sen, a Jalpaiguri district secretariat member of the CITU, said the workers had wanted at least 15 per cent bonus.

"The management was reluctant to agree to the demand but was ready to hold talks with us. It was agreed that there would be talks between the workers and the management today and if a consensus was reached, the disbursement of bonus would also begin soon as just 10 days are left for Durga Puja. However, the management plastered the lockout notice on the factory premises today. The workers are worried whether they will receive bonus and the due wages before the Puja," said Sen.

He said the Jalpaiguri district administration and the state labour department should intervene and ask the management to reopen the unit immediately.

The management couldn't be contacted.

J. Tanti, the subdivisional officer of Malbazar, inquired about the lockout and also passed on the information to the officials of the labour department in Jalpaiguri.

Arthur Horo, the assistant labour commissioner of Jalpaiguri, said he was yet to get a formal intimation from the management about the lockout. "Once we get the official intimation, we will start negotiations. The local police have been asked to keep vigil at the unit," said Horo.

Alipurduar, Oct. 9: The management of Dima Tea Estate left the garden today after issuing a suspension of work notice.

Sources said for the past 10 days, 1,000-odd workers had been agitating from 7am to 10am daily demanding bonus at the rate of 20 per cent. A tripartite meeting was called on October 7 and the bonus rate was fixed at 12 per cent#.

But yesterday, some workers agitated and demanded bonus at 20 per cent#.

The estate in Kalchini block has 1,854 workers.

The notice issued by Surajgovind Estates Private Limited said around 8.30am, 900-odd workers "gheraoed the garden office and demanded 20% bonus..." The workers confined the deputy manager and other officials to a room. They could leave after the police arrived at 12.30pm. The garden manager could not be contacted.

The joint labour commissioner, Siliguri, has called a meeting on October 14 to discuss the issue.