Tea bonus talks to be held on 8 November; unions firm

SNS, 3 November 2019, Siliguri: The state labour department has called for a tripartite meeting in Kolkata on 8 November to discuss the second part of the Puja bonus for tea workers in Darjeeling Hills to be paid for the financial year 2018-19.

Notably, planters had finally agreed to pay 20 percent bonus after trade unions and other political leaders, including Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leader Binoy Tamang, launched protests, demanding the same and one-time payment. Mr Tamang also went on a fast-unto-death protest with the demand.

In a meeting just after Durga Puja, planters agreed to pay the 20 percent, but in two instalments. It was decided that sixty percent of the total payment would be made before the Diwali festival, as 80,000 workers and their families in the gardens in the Hills had to spend their biggest festival of Dashain without the Puja bonus. It was also decided in the tripartite meeting in Kolkata that the remaining 40 percent would be paid after a similar round of talks are held this month.

"Trade unions under the banner of the Joint Forum will hold a meeting very soon to formulate a strategy to demand the remaining 40 percent of the payment for the 20 percent bonus in the meeting to be held on 8 November," sources said today.

Though a section of the planters had proposed making such a payment only in May 2020, the idea was discarded by the state government, following protests from different quarters.

While sources said the planters may propose to the government that the second part payment could be made in March (the end of the current financial year of 2018-2019), trade union leaders said they are determined to demand the remaining within this December.

" We are firm on demanding the remaining payment within this very year." said a Hill-based trade union leader, Amar Lama.