Alchemist agrees to clear tea garden dues - New owner found for three estates

Peshok Tea Estate of the Alchemist Group. File picture

AVIJIT SINHA and VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Aug. 12: The Alchemist Group and trade unions today signed an agreement under which dues accrued to workers of three tea gardens in the Darjeeling hills would be cleared in 12 installments as the company extracted an assurance of co-operation from the labour wings to sell the estates to a new owner.

It was also decided at a meeting convened by Samir Basu, the joint labour commissioner, here that normal activities in the three gardens — Dooteriah, Peshok and Kalej Valley — would resume tomorrow. 

Work has been erratic in the plantations for the past six months as workers resorted to agitation for clearing the dues. The Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union, backed by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, even went on a hunger strike for the payment of the dues. 

The Alchemist Group has Trinamul Rajya Sabha member K.D. Singh as the chairman emeritus. The group owns the gardens under the Dooteriah & Kalej Valley Tea Estate Private Limited.

“Today, a tripartite meeting was held in my office where representatives of four tea trade unions and management officials, including a director of the Alchemist Group, were present. The management told the trade union leaders that they had found a new company which intended to take over all three gardens. The union leaders said if the workers’ dues were paid, they did not have any problem with the new management taking over the three estates,” said Basu. 

The new company, sources said, is Trident Global HKK Limited. “As far as we know, it has some stakes in the tea sector. But this is probably the company’s first venture into the plantations,” said a source. 

As the meeting continued, discussions were held on the workers’ dues and how the management could clear them. 

“The break-up of the arrears in each garden was made and a schedule was worked out to pay the dues. The management also insisted that there should not be any activity from the workers’ side that could affect the normal functioning of the gardens. Finally, an agreement was signed by the management and the unions. The three estates will function normally from tomorrow,” said Basu. 

In the agreement, a copy of which is with The Telegraph, it has been mentioned that workers who attend their duties from tomorrow will get a fortnight’s wage on August 19.

Under the agreement, the liabilities and dues amounting to Rs 2.50 crore will be cleared in 12 monthly installments of Rs 20 lakh from November. 

“It has been also resolved that this agreement will be binding upon the new management, if any, taken over from the present management,” reads the fifth clause of the agreement.

The union leaders and representatives of the Alchemist Group couldn’t be contacted.

Told about the agreement, a senior tea trade union leader in Siliguri said the agreement showed that the Alchemist Group was intending to sell its three hill gardens. 

“The clause which says the agreement shall be binding on the new management does not usually appear in tripartite agreements signed to resume activities in a tea garden. The clause shows that the current management plans to sell its tea estate,” he said.