Tea plantation workers stage agitation

Courtesy: Team workers local news- FB

SNS | Jalpaiguri | 07 October, 2016: Hundreds of workers of a closed tea plantation, Nayasailee, staged road blockade at 10 different points in Dooars on Thursday demanding reopening of the tea estate.

Traffic came to a halt after workers associated with various trade unions staged agitations from Champaguri to Thaljhora under Nagrakata police station in Jalapguri since 7 am on Thursday. The agitators withdrew the road block at around 3 pm after block administration assured them that necessary steps will be taken in response to their demands.

Interestingly, even workers associated with the Trinamool Congress-backed trade union joined the agitation demanding reopening of the closed tea estate.

The management issued notice for suspension of work, citing indiscipline among workers and raising questions of safety of managerial staff, on 24 September this year after trouble broke out over the issue of Puja bonus. A total of 1500 workers have been rendered jobless before Durga Puja. The management wanted to make payment of bonus at 15.10 per cent but the workers were demanding 18 per cent. Additional labour commissioner Hiralal Pan said that his department will call a tripartite meeting shortly to resolve the problem.