Protest over tea issues from Monday

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 04 Jul 2019,  Darjeeling: Hill trade unions, barring that of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and Trinamul Congress, have announced a series of agitation from July 8 in the tea gardens across the Darjeeling hills, Terai and the Dooars for right of tea workers'.

The joint forum -- a conglomeration of 26 trade unions in the region -- on Wednesday held a meeting in Darjeeling to finalise it course of agitation. "Elections comes and goes and now since that is over, we have once again come together to put up a joint fight for workers' right," said J.B. Tamang, the convener of the forum (hills).

The unions alleged that many tea gardens were reluctant to clear gratuity of retired workers and make provident fund contributions. The gardens have to clear gratuity within 90 days from the retire- ment day, said Tamang. According to sources, the union demanded immediate fixation of minimum wages, granting of land rights to tea garden workers and increasing the retirement age from 58 to 60 years.

Saman Pathak, a CPM leader and former Rajya Sabha MP said: "On Monday we will organise a dharna at the Darjeeling Tea Association, provident fund and labour offices. From Tuesday, we will start holding gate meetings in all the tea gardens in the regionTamang said during elections political parties garnered votes from the tea gardens on issues like minimum wages and land rights. "Now, the time has come to deliver. We will be giving representations to the MPs and MLAs soonBJP candidates Raju Bista and Neeraj Zimba had won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha and the Darjeeling assembly by-elections, respectively.

"A meeting on minimum wages had been convened on December 13, 2018, and the state government. Now, the only thing left for the state government is to announce the minimum wage for tea industry," said Pathak.

The forum also wants the state government to take steps to reopen closed gardens in the region.

Around 4.5 lakh people are engaged with the tea industry in the region..