Min wages in tea gardens within a year: Dola Sen

Experts in the committee, following WHO guidelines, are calculating as to how much intake a labour should take so their wages can be fixed. I am hopeful and confident that within a year, minimum wages will be started in tea gardens and wages
of the tea garden workers will increase.-Dola Sen MP

SNS, DARJEELING. 12 SEPTEMBER 20 : Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha MP and trade union leader Dola Sen today expressed hope that Minimum wages would be fixed and implemented in tea garden within a year. She spoke here after a meeting with leaders of the TMC (Hills) and trade unions at the Circuit House.
'During the CPM rule, the minimum wages was a thing unheard of along with Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) in any sector, but after Mamata Banerjee became the CM, in four months' time she issued a Gazzatte notification for minimum wages for 63 sectors. Those getting wages from Rs 70 to Rs 115 are now getting Rs 350. Now minimum wages for the tea and jute industry remain," she said, adding that a minimum wage committee had been formed for the tea industry.
"Discussions for implementation of minium wages in tea gardens are going on within the committee for four years now Experts in the committee, following WHO guidelines, are calculating as to how much intake a labour should take so their wages can be fixed. I am hopeful and confident that within a year, minimum wages will be started in tea gardens and wages of the tea garden workers will increase," she said.
On the parja-patta (land rights), she said that a policy decision had already been taken by the state government, but there wa s a delay due to a consent required from the Centre, which they had been waiting.
"We will start a movement through our trade union and take up this demand with the Centre.The Bengal CM has said that parja-patta will be given and it will happen," she said.
The union leader also said that apart from the cash component issue in tea gardens, there was also the issue of kind component to be given from the management, like fuel, medical benefits, creche, housing, canteen, of which workers were only getting 10 to 15 percent.
"Those which are not being provided by the management are being given through the state government, like housing and free ration in closed tea gardens, among others. There are more, for which the state government is working," she said. Maintaining that there were issues like FAWLAI in closed gardens, PF, and gratuity, she said the matter would be taken up with authorities concerned. She also demanded that closed tea gardens be opened.