Cannot hike bonus, say hill tea planters

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 4 Sept 2019,  Darjeeling: The Darjeeling Tea Association has cited a slump of 22 per cent in exports last year and a 50 per cent fall in production in the past two decade to plead its inability to meet workers' demand for a 20 per cent bonus this year 

The hill trade unions are demanding 20 per cent of the workers' annual earnings and have started holding gate meetings, submitting memoranda to managements and plastering posters. Bonus is to be paid two clear Sundays before Dashami. The statutory minimum bonus rate is 8.33 percent 

Sandeep Mukherjee, principal advisor, DTA, said: "In 2018 our exports was down by 22 per cent. In 1995, the Darjeeling tea industry produced 14 million kg of made tea, the production figure for 2018 was 7.5 million." The production figure in 2017, when the hill was closed for 104-days was 3.5 million 

"After the statehood agitation in 2017, absenteeism has touched 50 percent. There has been no support either from the state government or Centre, and this year we are no in position to pay bonus at the rate of 20 percent," said Mukherjee 

The DTA official said exports to Germany and Japan had dropped. "We have come across as unreliable suppliers and Nepal tea is replacing us," said Mukherjee 

The association said 60 to 65 per cent of their produce used to be exported. 

The industry also blamed both state and Centre for failing to hold their hands 

"Soon after the strike was over in 2017, there was no production for two-three months as bushes had to be pruned. We had asked the state government to help us through the 100-days scheme or through other panchayat benefits. We received no help," said Mukherjee 

The official also said that the industry had asked for a Rs 300-crore relief from the Centre. "We wrote to the commerce industry, finance ministry but nothing came out of it." 

Told that the industry should also shoulder blame for poor productivity and absenteeism as the industry has not only failed to go for extensive replanting and that the wages are low, Mukherjee differed 

The unions are, however, adamant the bonus should be paid at 20 per cent. Apart from last year, when the rate was fixed at 15 percent, the industry had been paying the highest permissible amount for the last many years.