Strike threat by Duncan workers - Unions say wages andrations not given on time

TT, Siliguri, April 10: The largest conglomerate of tea workers' unions in north Bengal has threatened a strike across the region on April 16 to protest the alleged wage irregularities of the Duncan Goenka Group that has 15 estates across Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars.

The Joint Forum, which has 24 tea trade unions as members in the hills and the Dooars and Terai, said over 25,000 workers were facing "an economic crisis because of the persistent irregularities in all the tea estates of Duncan Goenka Group in the Dooars, Terai and Darjeeling hills".

The forum alleged that the management was "not disbursing rations to workers for several months, the wage disbursement is irregular and normal work in these tea estates is disrupted".

A representative of Duncan Goenka, contacted in Calcutta, said the management had no information of wage irregularities or the strike threat.

The representative said he did not want to be named.

Gautam Ghosh, a Citu leader based in Naxalbari and a member of the forum, said: "We have met the joint labour commissioner here today and have made it clear that if no decision is reached at the meeting called by the state labour department on April 14, we will have no other option but to call a strike in the tea industry on April 16."

The meeting is between state officials and the Duncan Goenka Group.

According to tea union leaders, the workers of the 15 gardens have been getting irregular wages for the last two months and rations irregularly for more than five months.

Around 200 workers from the tea estates of Duncan Goenka Group arrived here today, led by the leaders of Joint Forum. The workers blocked a road for around 15 minutes at Hashmi Chowk.

They then walked to the joint labour commissioner's office and submitted a memorandum.

Ziaur Alam, the Jalpaiguri district Citu secretary and convenor of the forum, said: "Electric bills are not being paid and there is no proper maintenance of the pumps which are for drinking water supply. This is also leading to irregular functioning of the tea factories and several kilos of tea leaves, which have been plucked but not processed, are perishing. At least 30 rounds of ration, distributed weekly or fortnightly, are due. The wage payment is irregular," he said.

According to the trade union leaders, a tripartite meeting was held in Calcutta on March 20. "At the meeting, those representing the Duncan group had assured us that the irregularities would be regularised. Nothing has changed.... We also want the state industry and commerce departments to intervene on the issue," Alam said.

A tripartite meeting has been convened on April 23 at Uttarkanya in Siliguri when the tea trade unions are supposed to be present.

Joint labour commissioner Md. Rizwan said: "The state labour minister has called a meeting on April 14 in Calcutta. Representatives of the tea group would be present. We are expecting a breakthrough at the meeting."

He said: "A delegation of tea trade union leaders had come today. They mentioned certain irregularities that workers are facing at the gardens of this group, including irregular payment of wages and disbursement of rations."

The group's presence in 15 gardens makes Duncan Goenka one of the major stakeholders in the tea industry in the region.

"The group owns gardens where the yield is much higher than the average yield in Terai and Dooars and yet, the management is delaying in clearing the workers' dues citing shortage of working capital," Alam said.

2 die in Red Bank

Two workers of the closed Redbank Tea Estate in the Dooars died in the garden on Friday, raising the toll to 46 since October 2013, when the estate was shut down.

Johan Toppo, 40, is suspected to have committed suicide, while Niru Nayak, 58, died of suspected malnutrition, garden residents said.

"The garden is closed for almost two years. Johan was suffering from depression as he was jobless and could not run his family. On Friday morning, his family found him dead in his room. They have claimed that he has committed suicide out of depression," a resident of Redbank said.