Hill tea workers burn Advisory Committee recommendation letter, stick to 20% bonus demand

EOI, DARJEELING, OCTOBER 2, 2024: Protestors on Wednesday burnt the Advisory Committee recommendation letter advising a 16 percent bonus for tea garden workers and organized a massive protest rally in Darjeeling town. 

Former Rajya Sabha MP and veteran CPI (M) leader Saman Pathak said the advisory was unacceptable. "We could have easily persuaded the management to give us 16 percent. There was no need for the West Bengal government to intervene. We had hoped the State Government would work for the workers and persuade the owners to give a 20 percent bonus. We tore and burnt the recommendation of the Advisory Committee because we will not accept anything less than our demand of a 20 percent bonus," he said.

The trade unions are demanding a 20 percent bonus while the tea garden owners had proposed 13 percent. Four rounds of talks between the trade unions and representatives of the management and the Labour Commissioner had failed to break the deadlock. Subsequently, the State Government formed an Advisory Committee which recommended a 16 percent bonus, a figure that trade unions alleged had been allowed to leak in advance. Workers of the tea gardens did not want any discrepancy to arise.

Surprisingly, the trade union leaders of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) and the Trinamool Congress, who are dominant members of the Parwatiya Shramik Sangathan Samavaya Manch (PSSSM), an apex body of eight trade unions, were conspicuous by their absence in the protest rally, raising eyebrows. 

"Two trade union members (read as BGPM and Trinamool) of the PSSSM failed to participate in the rally today. We were not informed. We therefore could not make any big decisions. We will wait till tomorrow to talk to them before announcing further agitation programmes," Suraj Subba, representing the trade union affiliated with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, said.

Social activist and lawyer Bandana Rai, who has been in the thick of action, highlighted the absence of the trade union leaders of the BGPM and Trinamool. "The supporters of the BGPM and Trinamool were present in the rally, but we did not see any of their senior leaders. It’s a big question. It must be remembered that it was the leaders of their trade unions who called the 12-hour strike and today's protest rally. Therefore, it is pertinent that the Trinamool and BGPM announce the next course of action," she said.

Trade unions affiliated with eight political parties under the aegis of the Parwatiya Shramik Sangathan Samavaya Manch (PSSSM) called a 12-hour strike in the Hills on Monday to create pressure on the state government and the management. 

On Tuesday, a strike was observed in Mirik by the workers on their own, which the PSSSM said they were not consulted about. Tea garden workers have been asked by the PSSSM to report for duty but refrain from working and instead demand a 20 percent bonus as part of the agitation.

The PSSSM said it would request the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to engage in direct talks to negotiate the bonus rate.

"We will write a strong letter to the Bengal CM and urge her to have direct talks with us. We will argue our point on why a 20 percent bonus should be given even though the owners cited loss in production," Suraj Subba said. 

J.B. Tamang, president of the BGPM's trade union, is presently admitted to a hospital because of high blood pressure. "I had to attend a family wedding in Siliguri and so could not participate in the rally. I did inform the PSSSM group about my absence, which I know has raised questions but was unavoidable," Bharat Thakuri, general secretary of the BGPM trade union, said.

Members of the Himalayan Plantation Employees Union, which is not part of the PSSSM, blocked the road in Kurseong town in protest, resulting in heated exchanges with the police. The PSSSM said it would hold gate meetings in the 87 tea gardens of the Hills on Thursday.