‘Shift row’ halts tea garden work at Ramjhora

According to sources since Tuesday, all 750-odd workers kept away from the plantations and the factory

The Alipurduar district administration has asked officials of the state labour department to resolve the issue.: File Picture

TT  Correspondent   |   Alipurduar   |  01.12.22  :    Work halted at Ramjhora, a prominent tea estate of Alipurduar district, since Tuesday reportedly over a disagreement between workers and the management over work allocation.

The Alipurduar district administration has asked officials of the state labour department to resolve the issue.

Sources said that since Tuesday, all 750-odd workers kept away from the plantations and the factory.

Allegedly, the management wants them to work the entire eight-hour shift, but workers want to work only in the first half.

“The workers should listen to the management instead of making decisions on their own. It is unfortunate that although the garden is open, the workers are not joining their duties. We firmly believe that serving half a day and taking a full day’s wage should not be the practice unless there is an extraordinary situation,” said Sanjoy Bagchi, the secretary of the Dooars branch of the Indian Tea Association.

Ramjhora is a member garden of this association.

Trade union leaders, however, claimed that workers had not been getting jobs from the management for the past few days.

“Usually, when workers report for duty, the management assigns them work. But now, the management is not giving them work. This has led to the present impasse. We have informed the district magistrate and want the problem to be resolved,” said Nakul Sonar, the vice-president of the Trinamul Cha Bagan Sramik Union.

Officials of the district administration said they were trying to end the stalemate.

Surendra Kumar Meena, the Alipurduar district magistrate, said they had asked officials of the labour department to hold talks with the management and the trade unions so that regular activities could resume in the tea garden.