Uttarkanya: IInd meeting for hill tea gardens bonus fails .... Next meeting after Diwali

Prashant Acharya, EOI, SILIGURI, 14 Oct 2017: The meeting for the fixation of date of 2nd instalment of bonus for the tea garden of hills held at Uttarkanya on Saturday failed again. The third meeting will be held after 15 days.

The tripartite meeting attended by the tea garden labour union leaders, owners and labour commissioner was undecided after many of the gardens have not yet paid the first installment of bonus.

The owners said that the bonus was not paid as none of the workers attended the work and still many factories are shut down. They claimed that they are facing huge financial losses due to the prolonged strike in the hills.

Meanwhile the trade union leaders said that workers are slowly coming to work after the normalcy returned in hills and the bonus was for the previous year of workers that have worked and has right to get.

Morcha leader Harihar Acharya said, “Many of the gardens in the hills have still not paid the wages and first installment of Pooja bonus even after commitment by the owners in the meeting held on 21st September.

Acharya informed today’s meeting decided that the previous dues will be cleared within 18th October and the next meeting for the fixation of date for the second installment of bonus will be held after Diwali.

The meeting was attended by Hill TMC leader Rajen Mukhia, GNLF leader N K Kumai, CPM leaders Saman Pathak and Gautam Ghosh,  Morcha leader Harihar Acharya, Pranam Rasaily, Karuna Gurung, Bharat Thakuri and others. The meeting was chaired by labour commissioner Jawaid Akthar.

(Source & Courtesy: http://echoofindia.com/siliguri-uttarkanya-iind-meeting-hill-tea-gardens-bonus-fails-134108)