Diwali bonus at closed tea garden

the cooperative has decided to disburse a part of the sale proceeds among the workers, a move considered rare in the tea industry   

TT  |   Alipurduar   |  29.10.20  :  Around 750-odd permanent workers employed at the Jateswar division of Birpara tea estate of Alipurduar district — a garden owned by the Duncans Goenka Group and closed for months now — are each set to receive a festive bonus of around Rs 3,000 ahead of Diwali.

Though the garden is closed, the informal cooperative that these workers run earn by selling tea leaves of the garden.

This cooperative has decided to disburse a part of the sale proceeds among the workers, a move considered rare in the tea industry because the garden is officially closed.

Mahadeb Bagwar, a panchayat member from Jateswar division of the garden, said they had paid a similar bonus to workers ahead of Durga Puja.

“We checked the available funds, basically sale proceeds of tea leaves that we have managed to accumulate after paying wages to workers, and found that a portion of the money can be distributed among workers again. That is why we intend to pay them an ex-gratia of Rs 3,000 or so ahead of Diwali,” said Bagwar.

Senior tea planters have pointed out that many times even open tea gardens negotiate on bonuses and arrive at a lower rate than the one fixed in the industry agreement. Also, there are instances that such open gardens pay bonus in tranches and even falter in clearing the dues on time.

“Also, in case of closed gardens, charges of misappropriation of funds are often raised at the committees. It is nice to see that in Jateswar, there is transparency and workers are being provided with ex-gratia out of the profits,” said a planter based in Siliguri. 

The cooperative in Jateswar, sources said, plans to keep aside a fund for pruning and other maintenance work during the lean seasons.

“In the winter months, we need to carry out maintenance work in a proper manner to ensure a good yield next year. We will engage workers so that their earnings do not dry up during lean months. That is why a part of the proceeds have been kept aside. We also plan to distribute woollens among the workers and their families,” Bagwar said.