Turturi Tea garden locked out

Turturi Tea Estate. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

TT, Alipurduar, Oct. 8: The management of Turturi Tea Estate has announced suspension of work because of labour unrest in the garden.

Yesterday, the management issued a lockout notice after a section of workers had demonstrated on the plantation office's premises, gheroaed the manager and verbally abused and threatened him demanding payment of due wage.

On September 25, the management was supposed to pay wages for a fortnight to the workers but failed. They paid 11 per cent bonus to the workers prior to Durga Puja.

On October 5 and 6, as a section of workers remained abstain from work - to protest the delay in the wage payment - the factory could not run.

The management then assured the workers that 50 per cent of their dues would be paid on October 7 and the rest on October 11, but the agitated workers got into a brawl with the management.

Sumanta Guha Thakurota, the secretary of Dooars Branch of Indian Tea Association, said: "The management had paid bonus before the Pujas although the estate is incurring losses. The management promised to clear 50 per cent dues on October 7 and the remaining on October 11 because of fund crunch. A section of workers did not agree to this and there was an altercation between the labourers and the manager."

Bidyut Gun, the secretary of the Cha Bagan Majzoor Union affiliated to the CITU said the management should have paid the dues to the workers prior to Durga Puja. "Tomorrow, we will submit a memorandum to the district magistrate and deputy labour commissioner in Alipurduar to open the garden at the earliest."

Turturi, 41km from here, has 520 permanent workers.