Tea garden halts work

TT, 29 September 2019, Alipurduar: The management of the Kalchini Tea Estate has announced suspension of work and served a notice on Saturday, leaving dejected over 2,000 workers who are yet to receive their due wages and the bonus.

Kalchini, around 35km from here, is one of the 43 gardens which would pay bonus at concessional rates -- that is at rates lower than the stipulated rate of 18.5 per cent. As per the bipartite agreement, the garden is supposed to pay bonus at 12 per cent rate.

Since Friday evening, the managerial employees were not seen at the garden, which had left the workers apprehensive. On Saturday, they found that the management has served a notice, announcing suspension of work. 

As per the notice, on September 26 evening, a meeting was held among the managerial staff and representatives of all the operating trade unions of the garden.

There, the schedule of bonus and wage payment was finalized 

"However, at around 12pm on Friday, the workers left their jobs and reached at the factory gate, shouting slogans against the management.

They even stopped manufacturing of tea at the factory and closed down the factory gate. The manager went to the spot but the workers did not listen to him," said a source. 

Later, the manager and the assistant managers left the garden, as they were worried of their own security.

In Dooars, this is the first garden in Dooars that has shut down ahead of the upcoming festive season where the bonus has also not been disbursed so far.

The workers, however, have countered the charges. "We wanted to know the dates when wages and bonus would be paid. Nobody stopped the manufacturing," said a worker.

The suspension of work has prompted the state labour department to act. On Sunday, the assistant labour commissioner has convened a tripartite meeting here, said source.

The labour department officials also held a meeting on Saturday with trade unions and representatives of the managements of five tea gardens, which had walked out of the industry wide agreement on bonus.

These gardens have also not yet announced the rate of bonus which they will pay to the workers, said.