State rolls garden plans: Bista slams bonus move

SNS, SILIGURI 23 SEP 2022: Eyes seemingly on the next rural elections, the state government has taken credit to resolve" the bonus issue in the Hills, while Darjeeling's BJP MP Raju Bista has termed  state's decision as a "shameful act of discrimination" by the West Bengal government CM.

After trade unions refused to sign an agreement on 20 percent puja bonus in two instalments, the state labour department issued a notice, stating that the agreed amount would be paid in two phases.

Significantly, just after "statement" of the bonus issue on 21 September in Siliguri, following the intervention of the state labour department, Minister in Charge of the department, Moloy Ghatak, has

started visiting tea plantations in North Bengal region for implementing various welfare schemes, including setting up of health centres, creches and drinking water supply projects for tea workers. 

More than seven tea plantations have been earmarked in the first phase of the government plan. Interestingly, the labour department has stated distributing Identity Cards for tea workers.

However, interestingly, the I-card has Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's photo displayed on it. Political observers said the objective of distributing such I-Cards was to reach out to the workers by displaying the CM's photo instead of the workers' photos.

Notably, Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee had recently held a meeting at Dhupguri in Jalpaiguri and assured workers that they would be given Identity Cards

soon. 

According to political observers, despite the fact that the state tried hard to garner the vote bank in the tea dependent gardens, opponents, mainly the BJP had finally managed Puja to win a majority of the votes in the tea belt earlier.

On the other hand, reacting to the bonus issue in the nattily attitude of the state government towards the tea garden workers of the hill region from our Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. While tea companies have agreed to pay20% bonus in tea gardens in the Terai and Dooars region, the tea companies in the hills have said they want to pay the bonus in two instalments.

However, the negotiations are ongoing."

"Despite producing some of the best teas in the world, which sells for some of the highest prices in the international market, tea garden workers in Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars are today one of the lowest -paid industrial workers in the nation. Because of which, they are on the annual bonus for their Dasain and Durga Puja celebrations. 

This annual delay in granting of bonus to hill tea garden workers "Instead of helping the workers, the WB government has now issued a decree, stating that the bonus will be paid in two instalments--15% before Dasain and 5% before Diwali. 

The two festivals are set roughly 15-days apart, so I don't see how paying the bonus in instalments will benefit the tea companies," the MP said, adding. "I fail to understand the financial or any other logical behind this absurd decision. I strongly feel that the decree passed by the Additional Labour Commissioner on behalf of the WB government is nothing but another means of demeaning the hill people and undermining our rights."