No-show at Madhu meet

TT, Alipurduar, Sept. 26: The tripartite meeting with the management of Madhu Tea Estate, workers and the deputy labour commissioner of Jalpaiguri was not held today, as labourers and the owner did not turn up.

Yesterday, the labour department had convened the meeting after work was suspended at the garden over bonus.

According to the workers they could not reach the meeting venue at Jalpaiguri, as they did not have the money to pay for a private car that would cost around Rs 2,000 for a two-way trip. Madhu tea garden is at least 100km from Jalpaiguri and there is no bus service.

Sunil Oraon, the garden unit leader of Progressive Tea Workers’ Union, said: “We could not afford a car. Instead, we went to the BDO office (at Kalchini). We saw the SDO there and we requested him to see to it that we get the bonus before Puja. We are organising Durga Puja and the estate has closed down suddenly. We do not know how to conduct the puja.”

Earlier this month, the management had said bonus would be paid the rate of 12 per cent and the amount would be disbursed in two installments, one on September 27 and the next one in December. On September 23, workers did not work and gheraoed the house of the estate financer at Kalchini demanding the full bonus on September 27. Work was suspended from the next day.

The manager and the financer have been admitted to a Siliguri nursing home.

SDO Samiran Mandal said: “I will take up the issue with the department concerned.”