Arrears protest in govt estates

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT,Darjeeling, July 16:The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated trade union has started an hour-long pen-down strike daily in three hill gardens owned by the West Bengal Tea Development Corporation demanding payment of arrears to employees that amounts to Rs 1.5 crore.

The union has threatened to intensify its strike, converting it from an hour-long protest to an indefinite one, after July 25 if the dues accumulated between April 2011 and February 2012 are not cleared.

“Despite repeated reminders to the West Bengal Tea Development Corporation, arrears to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore have not been cleared by the management. We have been forced to call a series of agitations in the gardens,” said Milan Pradhan, the media secretary of the Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union.

The West Bengal Tea Development Corporation manages Rangaroon, Padam and Rangmuk-Cedar tea gardens in the hills, apart from Hilla and Mahua in the Dooars.

The Morcha union has been organising an hour-long pen-down strike from July 15 in the hill gardens. The agitation will continue till tomorrow.

Everyday, officials in the three gardens do not work for the first one hour. Plucking, though, has not been affected.

“The pen-down strike will be observed for two hours (every day) from July 18 to 20 after which the agitation hours will be increased to four hours till July 25. After 25 July, the pen down strike will be observed throughout the day for an indefinite period,” said Pradhan.

He added that the management of the three gardens has failed to clear the arrears accrued over a period of 10 months.

“The workers’ wages were increased from Rs 67 to Rs 90 (per day) with effect from April 1, 2011. The management has not cleared the 10-month arrears till date. The wages of the staff and the sub-staff were also hiked by 34 per cent (from April 2011) but this, too, has not been implemented in the WBTDC-managed gardens,” said Pradhan.

Officials said although the workers were paid the revised wages of Rs 90 per day after February 2012, the revised salaries of the staff and the sub-staff had not been paid.