Three meetings to discuss tea wages

TT, 4 January 2018, Siliguri: Senior officials of the state labour department held three different meetings with stakeholders of tea industry at Uttarkanya here on Thursday to discuss a number of issues, including fixing of minimum wages and payment of bonus in the hills.

At the first meeting, the officials asked planters why a section of hill tea estates were yet to clear the bonus of workers.

"They cited paucity of funds as the principal cause and said they should be allowed to pay the due bonus by June. The officials objected to it and said that the due bonus is of 2016-17 fiscal and they should clear it by January this year," said a source.

The second meeting was that of the minimum wages advisory committee, that has been formed by the state around three years back, and comprises planters' representatives, trade union leaders and government officials.

The planters said they would submit their opinions on the minimum wage in a fortnight.

At the third meeting, the labour officials spoke on the issue of transfer of money value of ration.

Ever since tea planters have been providing food grains under the "Khadyasathi" scheme, tea unions have demanded that the margin in the gran's price be paid to workers.