‘Union govt is doing corruption over PF of tea garden workers’

Sanchita Aich Bag, MP, 21 Dec 2023, Siliguri: “The Central government is doing corruption with Provident Funds (PF) of tea garden workers by hiding the information about the fund,” stated Ritabrata Banerjee, state president of Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) in a news conference at State Guest House in Siliguri on Thursday. 

He said: “Tea garden workers have not been getting their PF amount for a long time. The Union government is hiding the data of PF defaulters. The state government is unable to do anything until they get all the information. 

There is a problem with document linkage. The Union government is not paying heed to the issue and the BJP MPs and MLAs are in denial mode.” 

INTTUC is keen to strengthen the party in the tea garden area ahead of Lok Sabha elections. For that, Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union, a wing affiliated to INTTUC, started a campaign in tea garden areas. 

The first programme of the campaign was held in Nagrakata on December 19 and will be held in Bidhannagar and Naxalbari on December 28 under Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad. 

Currently, The campaign is ongoing in different places. Through this campaign, workshops are being conducted with five mukhiyas of various tea gardens. 

Senior INTTUC leaders impart classes to the mukhiyas. The leaders have been imparting four classes in each tea garden on four topics. The mukhiyas will forward the information to other labourers of tea gardens. 

These four topics are — how the workers will work inside the tea garden and how they will get their benefits. Besides, if the labour code is implemented, the workers will have to work for 12 hours instead of 8 hours. 

Tea garden bonus and how to get other benefits, initiative taken by the Chief Minister for tea garden labourers and on strengthening the organisation. 

After concluding the programme INTTUC will decide their next programme.