Bonus rift: 14 estates shun pact

ANIRBAN CHOUDHURY, TT, 24 Sep 2019, Alipurduar: The managements of around 14 tea estates withdrew from the industrywide bonus agreement signed at a bipartite meeting in Calcutta on Sunday for workers of the Terai and the Dooars.

The tea companies owning these gardens have sought concessions in the bonus rate and backtracked after the agreement as they were not provided concessions. On Sunday, it was mutually decided among tea planters' associations and unions ahead of Puja this year, workers will receive bonus at the rate of 18.5 per cent (of their annual pay).

"However, after the meeting, these gardens mentioned that they are withdrawing from the agreement and will fix the bonus at the garden level in consultation with the workers. This is disappointing and we apprehend that it might have different consequences," said Bidyut Gun, secretary of the Citu-affiliated Cha Bagan Mazdoor Union.

The union leader pointed that they had initiated the process of industry wide agreement so that there is uniformity in the rate of bonus across the gardens.

"Because of the decision, workers in these gardens are aggrieved and have raised protests in some places. This is because they suspect that the management of these gardens will pay them bonus at a lower rate than 18.5 per cent," Gun added.

On Monday, workers of Rahimabad and Ramjhora (two out of these 14 gardens) in Alipurduar district demonstrated at the garden against the managements' decision to pull out of the agreement. The managements will have to pay bonus at the stipulated 18.5 per cent rate, they said.

Every year, during the bi- partite talks on bonus, both the associations and the trade unions identify gardens which are financially weak.

"It is unfortunate that 14 tea estates made such a decision with several ramifications. It seems they will finalise their bonus rates in due course. So far as other gardens are concerned, we expect they will disburse the bonus by September 25," said R.A. Sharma, secretary of the Dooars branch of Tea Association of India.