Longview Tea Estate to Reopen on 11th November 2024 After Conciliation Meeting

(Photo Courtesy : Tribeny Geeta Rai-- Facebook)

KalimNews, November 10, 2024, Kalimpong : In a significant development, the Longview Tea Estate, which has been closed since 14th October 2024, will resume operations on 11th November. The decision follows a joint meeting held today at Shramik Bhawan, Siliguri, where the majority of trade unions reached a consensus with the management to reopen the estate. The meeting was mediated by the Additional Labour Commissioner as a conciliation officer.

Despite the agreement, two unions—the Himalayan Plantation Employees' Union (HPEU), which had been leading a hunger strike, and the Darjeeling Terai Duars Plantation Workers Union (DTDPWU)—refused to sign the settlement.

According to the agreement, the management has already initiated the deposit of a pending 6% bonus into the workers' accounts, which is expected to be fully credited by 9th November 2024.

The Longview Tea Estate had been shut down by the management due to allegations of gross indiscipline, including frequent 'gherao' protests, partial work, and interference in daily management. A previous attempt to resolve the dispute in a meeting on 23rd October failed, but the subsequent meeting today saw significant progress.

In the joint meeting held on November 8, it was agreed that the tea estate will officially reopen on 11th November. The management also committed to paying the remaining 6% bonus to workers and clearing the outstanding bonus for staff and sub-staff by November 9, 2024, in accordance with the government's advisory issued on 1st October 2024.

Additionally, it was agreed that any further issues related to industrial relations would be taken up through the conciliation machinery. The agreement stipulates that any deviation from this process would be considered a violation under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, and would be addressed accordingly.

A review meeting will be held at a later date, based on mutual consent, to assess the progress and resolve any further disputes, as agreed upon in a previous meeting on 6th September 2024.

The management and unions also agreed that no interference would be allowed in managerial functions aimed at improving discipline, productivity, and work culture in the tea estate. All trade unions and workers have committed to cooperating with the management to boost production and productivity, ensuring the tea estate's long-term financial viability.

The meeting saw the participation of representatives from several unions:

3 members from the Himalayan Plantation Workers' Union (HPWU)

3 from the Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union (DTDPLU)

4 from the Hills Terai Dooars Plantation Workers' Union (HTDPWU)

1 from the Trinamool Cha Bagan Shramik Union (TCBSU)

3 from the Hill Plantation Employees' Union (HPEU)

The management team was represented by Shabari Ghosh, HR IR-Manager of Longview Tea and Agro Ltd.

The garden, established on January 16, 1879, by James Warren & Company, originally spanned 1,020 hectares, with 506 hectares dedicated to tea cultivation. Today, it employs approximately 350 workers and produces black tea. At its peak, the garden had 1,244 permanent workers. 

In recent months, workers have staged protests, demanding the immediate payment of their outstanding wages, which amount to ₹16 crore. 

Leaders of the Himalayan Plantation Employees Union (HPEU), expressing their frustration, have stated that the management had previously made similar promises, but none of the demands were fulfilled. As a result, they have vowed to continue their hunger strike until the management begins clearing the overdue payments.