Tea strike off after Duncans pay signal

TT, Siliguri, April 15: Tea unions in north Bengal today withdrew an industry-wide strike, scheduled for tomorrow, after the Duncans Goenka group yesterday assured the state government it would clear a part of its pay and ration dues to labourers by April 20.

Workers at Duncans Goenka, a Calcutta-based group which owns 15 gardens in Darjeeling, Terai and the Dooars, had received wages irregularly for the last three-four months. Several cycles of ration were also due in the gardens that collectively employ over 25,000 people.

The Joint Forum, a conglomeration of 24 tea trade unions, had threatened a strike tomorrow to protest these irregularities.

At yesterday's meeting held with the labour department, Duncans Goenka said it would clear the annual leave dues, Md. Rizwan, the joint labour commissioner of Siliguri, said today.

The joint labour commissioner was one of the state representatives present.

"At the meeting, the management representatives said they will pay the annual leave wages to workers of all their gardens on April 17 and will also disburse ration on April 20," Rizwan said today.

No official from Duncans Goenka was available today to comment on the developments at the meeting yesterday.

The annual leave wages, which Duncans Goenka has agreed to pay, is the money labourers get for paid leave.

"The practice is that a worker gets a day's paid leave after every 20 days of work. The number of paid-leave days are around 18 days a year. The wages for these days are not paid during the regular payments but once in a year," a tea industry source said.

What Duncans Goenka will clear as the first round of dues is the pay for the around 18 days of leave. As of now, as per the last tripartite agreement, workers receive Rs 112.50 per day. If Duncans pays for 18 days leave to any labourer, the amount comes to Rs 2,025.

Rations, which are due for 30-35 weeks in various gardens, are generally given fortnightly, sometimes also monthly.

The number of dependents on the tea estates run by Duncans Goenka would be around a lakh people in the Dooars, Terai and Darjeeling.

"It is disappointing that workers serving under a corporate tea group have their rations due for past 30-35 weeks and are not receiving wages on fixed dates. We want the state and the central government to seriously look into the issue. It is necessary that the Duncans Goenka Group infuses necessary funds in its tea estates to ensure regular payment to workers and also normal functioning of the gardens," said Chitta Dey, a senior trade union leader who is also a part of the Joint Forum.

"Otherwise, we would have little option but to go on strike and other agitation," he added.

Workers of the Duncans estates had come to Siliguri last week and submitted a memorandum to Rizwan, demanding the state's intervention and threatening to go on strike.

The joint labour commissioner said state officials had passed the information to trade union leaders about Duncans's decision to pay some of the dues and supply the rations, asking them to refrain from the strike.

"We had information that the trade unions might go on strike if no decision is reached on the problems at the tea estates of the Duncans Goenka Group. We informed the trade union leaders about the commitments made by the management yesterday and requested them not to call the strike," Rizwan said.

Ziaur Alam, the Jalpaiguri district Citu secretary and convener of the forum, said: "Now that the workers will get some money and rations by April 20, we have decided to call off the strike. A tripartite meeting with the management and state labour department officials would be held at Uttarkanya on April 23."

Alam added that the unions would discuss with the Duncans management about "how they intend to clear the workers' dues. Based on what emanates out of the meeting on April 23), we will take fresh decisions."

"It is good that the tea industry strike has been postponed by the unions. The new season has just commenced and it is the time when our teas fetch best prices," a senior planter based in Siliguri said.