Planters asked to hike Rs 4 in wage for now ... Confusion over TMC leader's attendance

SNS, Siliguri: Labour minister Malay Ghatak today asked planters to pay Rs 176 a day to daily-rated tea workers with effect from October 2018 until the minimum wage issue is finally settled.

Notably, in the presence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Uttarkanya on 12 July, Mr Ghatak had told reporters that they had proposed planters to pay a minimum wages of Rs 178 a day.

To beat Joint Forum, a conglomeration of over 23 trade unions, Mr Ghatak today asked planters to increase Rs 4 more from the existing Rs 172, ahead of the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee (MWAC) meeting to be held in Kolkata on 20 August.

Notably, Rs 172 was tabled by government officials associated with the MWAC during a tripartite meeting as minimum wages, based on the price index of food basket and clothing, at Uttarkanya on 6 August. Significantly, the labour department called an official meeting with planters at the conference hall of Uttar Banga Marwari Seva Trust on Sevoke Road here today, where Mr Ghatak discussed the present state of affairs in tea gardens.

However, the department also invited trade union leaders (over the phone) associated with mainly Trinamul Congress-backed unions and two others, including the Binoy Tamang faction from the hills. Trade union leaders under the Joint Forum were not invited today.

"I don't know about Joint Forum. It called a strike, but it was not total. Do form a Joint Forum or any forum, it has no value if workers do not support. Today's meeting was not tripartite. It was to review the situation of tea gardens. The situation is now good and we discussed a lot so that tea gardens run well," minister Ghatak said.

'We have asked planters to pay the second instalment of Rs 10 with effect from April 2018.The tea workers will be getting Rs 169 a day from September 2018. We have asked planters to make arrear payment of Rs 50 of that installment (from April to August) in seven months from October to March this year."

At present, a daily-rated worker gets Rs 159 (last wage Rs 132.,50 + increment Rs 17.50 + Rs 9 value of ration) a day. "The Minimum Wages Advisory Committee meeting will be held in Kolkata on 20 August to settle Minimum Wages. If Minimum Wages is settled, it will come into force," Mr Ghatak added.

Secretary General of the Indian Tea Association, Amiit Raha, said that they have told the government that the economic condition of the industry is" extremely weak,"

"At this juncture, we find very difficult to sustain the present level of wages of Rs 159. We have requested the government to take cognizance of the huge cost pressure the industry has been facing and try to mitigate some of those costs so that productivity increases and the industry is capable of shouldering the increase burden that would come in the future," he said.

Mr Raha, who is also the secretary general of the Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations (CCPA), also said: "We appreciate that the Minimum Wages is part of a legislative change. We understand it and the process has to be completed. But at the same time, the reality is that there is a huge problem in the industry and, therefore, we appeal to the government to help us:'

Asked to comment on today's decision on the interim hike in the wages, Mr Raha said: 'We are not happy because the industry is facing huge problems at present.'

Secretary general of the Tea Association of India (TAI) PK Bhattacharjee also said that the industry is already incapacitated with the current wage level of Rs 159.

Spokesperson ot the Joint Forum , Zia ul Alam, said that stakeholders, including 45 1akh tea workers deserve their issues to be resolved in a lawful manner. "Announcement of some sorts of interim hike, paving no heed to the Minimum Wages Advisory committee, is not only against the lawful way of resolving issues pertaining to industrial relations, but also forcing the distress prone tea workers to face losses of almost Rs 1000 crore on account of their hard earned wages till 15 August 2018," he said.

Another Forum leader, Avijit Roy the general secretary of the North Bengal Tea Plantation Employees' Union, said: "We were taken aback when we came to know that the government would hold a meeting with planters and a few trade unions. Now, the state government is on the back-foot by imposing Rs 172 forcibly. We will hit the streets through a united movement shortly, demanding determination of the minimum wages by applying the correct method."

As state labour minister Moloy Ghatak said that a Trinamul Congress leader was asked to attend to days meeting in his capacity as the Sabhadhipati of the Alipurduar Zilla Parishad the leader in question, Mohan Sharma, said he was in the meeting of tea gardens as a trade union leader.

"I came to attend the meeting not as the Sabhadhipati," said Mr Sharma, who is the president of the ruling party-backed Cha Bagan Trinamul Congress Mazdoor Union.

Leaders of another organization backed by the TMC, Terai Dooars Plantation Workers' Union, were also present in the meeting. Leaders associated with Gorkha JanMukti Morcha- backed trade union (Binoy faction), Karuna Gurung and Progressive Tea Workers' Union, Tez Kurnar Toppo also attended the meeting.

The state labour department had, however, not invited them to the meeting.

"It is the state government's prerogative to select trade unions for the meeting. Joint Forum has attended the meeting and then staged a dharna at Uttarkanya. It cant be tolerated,- Mr Sharma said.

'We did not stage dharna after attending a meeting at Writers Building in Kolkata in the last 30 years as a trade union leader.Leaders should not do that,' Mr Sharma said, adding "We are happy with the state government's decision on interim wages.'

"We are also happy with the development in the last seven years under the leadership of Trinamul Congress," Mr Sharma said.

According to him, he was here today to brief the meeting on the effects of the recent strike in the tea belt.

Notably, a section of TMC backed union leaders, who criticized the decision to not invite the Joint Forum, wanted to abstain from the m eeting. They finally attended the meeting following instructions from the party, sources said.