As state plans traditional pay hike talks, unions seek Minimum wages

MANAS R BANNERJEE, SNS, SILIGURI, 18 FEBRUARY 2023 : At a time when the State Labour Department is set to convene tripartite talks in the first week of March to settle tea workers' wages through the traditional Tripartite Agreement, which was last inked in 2014, operating trade unions under the banner of Joint Forum of tea gardens and industries, a conglomeration of 33 organisations, have planned to stage demonstrations on various issues, including implementation of the Minimum Wages Act and Land Rights for landless residents in the tea area. 

In a two-day convention held recently, it was decided that as the new operational season would begin from today in the plains, the operating trade unions would jointly stage demonstrations before joining their duties on 23 February and serve memorandum to employers. 

Similarly, the operating trade unions will go to Hills with the same issues after the new operational season begins there on 28 February. In the convention, it was decided that during the demonstrations, the operating unions will mention in the memorandum that the garden areas have become a grave concern for the several landless residents as the state government has allowed planters to "divert" 15 percent land or making it "freehold" land from the "lease hold" one. 

It was also decided that as there was no effective measures to provide deeds (Patta) on land rights so far, the demonstration on 23rd February would ask garden authorities concerned not to change the present holding status, diversion in use etc or making the land freehold and dis- possessing anyone, while also pressing for rights of land to every landless residents in the North Bengal region. 

It may he noted here that a section of trade union leaders were taken aback after they came to know through the media that the administration had started surveying land in closed tea gardens, especially homestead land in the Hills, to provide land rights among workers. 

Not only the Hills, but the West Bengal Government is going to resume "retention" of tea garden land even in the plains that are surplus to the requirement for a plantation. Based on reports sent by the District Magistrates, Additional Secretary to the state government Dibyendu Bhattacharya has issued an order on 17 February for "resumption" of land from the retained areas of at least nine gardens in four districts. 

A total of 584.193 acres of land in those gardens have been earmarked for resumption." A total of 173.93 acres of land from the Lankapara Tea Estate in Alipurduar district have been marked for the purpose. Another huge area of land, 106.50 acres, has been earmarked in the Kohinoor Tea Estate in Alipurduar. 

In Darjeeling, the administration has marked 89.90 acres of land in Dooteriah Tea Estate and 23.75 acres of land from Simrik Tea Estate. The Alipurduar administration has also identified 79.27 acres of land in Dekla Para, while only .84 acres of land has been identified at Upper Fagu in Kalimpong. 

The Jalpaiguri administration has earmarked a total of 110 acres of land. Of them, 50 acres are in Red Bank, 20 acres in Surendranagar and 40 acres in Dharanipur. 

"We welcome the state government's decision, though it took time, when Kerala and other states have given land rights to tea workers in an appropriate time after lease agreement ended with planters," said Spokesperson of the Joint Forum Ziaul Alam, adding, "But we would not allow the state to convert free-hold land to leasehold land. 

The state would have to ensure land rights for the people, who arc living there, considering them as the first stake- holders in North Bengal. We are not against tea tourism because it can bring in development in the economy from natural resources. But I have doubts about the plan behind resumption of land at Lankapara TE and Red Bank.

The prime land on the side of the National Highway may he used for other commercial purposes, handing overland to highly influential land mafias." 

"In lune 2022, the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Commerce, after examining the situation and interrogating us has come to the conclusion that the land in which people havw been living for years are their ancestral land. They deserve their land rights and they can apply As a result, the committee has recommended both the Centre and the state government should act accordingly," Mr Alam said, adding, "If you go through history, this region is tea and forest areas. 

Lakhs of people do not have land rights. Not only the tea workers, but also the people associated with other jobs, who have set up different establishments, do not have land rights. Even in Darjeeling town, people am landless as they are practically living in tea land. So we are demanding land rights for the North Bengal peopie even at 'ganjo', 'haat, bazaar, markets in town." 

"During interactive sessions with the Hill people, who are demanding Gorkhaland, I asked them to ensure their land rights first, where they are living, then think of a movement for a separate state," senior trade union leader Mr Alam said.