Turmoil in tea gardens over puja bonus

SNS, Siliguri, | 16 October, 2015: With the Durga puja festival almost at hand, the tea industry in the region is experiencing a bad phase again, thanks to the unrest in a few tea plantations over puja bonus and the delay in disbursing the same.

It may be noted that the chairman of the Terai Indian Planters' Association (TIPA), AK Mintri, recently demanded support price for made-tea following the demand of marginal farmers.

Official sources said the year so far was not good for the tea industry and that it had been facing a severe crisis, having failed to manage at least the cost of production sometimes.

The joint labour commissioner in Siliguri, Md Rizwan, has called a tripartite meeting in his office tomorrow in a bid to resolve the problem in the Panighatta Tea Estate in the foothills under Mirik Block in Darjeeling, which shut on 10 October.

Panighatta TE belongs to the Tea Association of India (TAI) and its secretary general was not available for comment.

Rizwan also convened two more meetings on two more closed tea estates-Kumlai and Fagu on Wednesday and Thursday. However, both the meetings ended in a dud.

The management of some tea plantations had to issue 'suspension of work' notice, following workers' agitation over puja bonus, allegedly without informing the operating trade unions.

”Meetings on problems related to Kumlai in the Dooars and Fagu in Darjeleing district ended inconclusively. We have called another meeting on Panighatta TE tomorrow," said Rizwan.

Spokesperson of the Joint Forum, a conglomeration of over 23 trade unions, Ziaul Alam said: "Tea workers have received bonus in almost 95 per cent plantations. Problems related to bonus are going on in a few tea estates. There are around 30 tea estates that are considered sick and where the planters have demanded some relief."

"But the problem aggravated after the management shut down the tea estate by ignoring a bilateral dialogue with the operating trade unions. A section of the planters withdrew their names when dialogue started in Kolkata. This created complexities in finalizing the matter. Had they resolved the issue fast, both the labour department and the management would not have faced the present problem," he said.

Having failed to bear the workers' agitations led by various trade unions affiliated to several political parties, including the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, the management had to leave the estate without prior information in the Terai and the Dooars.

Trouble broke out after the management in sick tea plantations failed to pay the bonus as demanded by the workers ahead of Durga puja. It may be noted that some planters have demanded some relief for the bonus payment.

It was decided that workers would be getting 15 per cent bonus ahead of the pujas and 5 per cent will be disbursed before Christmas. However, though the food and supplies department will cover all workers and non-workers in tea areas of north Bengal, workers associated with more than a dozen plantations, which belong to the Duncans Group, are upset due to nonpayment of the wages since many days. Though trade union leaders have made an 'understanding' with the management by considering the future of tea plantations, workers in estates owned by Duncans refused to accept the decision to make the payment in parts.

A senior Intuc leader Mani Darnal said: "We have requested finance minister Amit Mitra, who looks after the commerce and industry department, to intervene to resolve the problems in more than 14 tea estates belong to Duncans Group. But we have not yet received a response from him."