Bonus Row Sparks Fresh Unrest in North Bengal Tea Gardens

SNS, Siliguri, 18 September, 2025: The annual Puja bonus for tea garden workers has sparked fresh unrest across north Bengal. Workers and trade unions, including the ruling-party-backed Trinamul Cha Bagan Shramik Union (TCBSU), are demanding the state-mandated 20 per cent bonus ahead of Durga Puja. However, they accuse many garden managements of stalling payments.

The state government had issued an advisory (Memo No. 1420/Addle./SLG, dated 22/08/2025) asking planters to pay a 20 per cent bonus to workers for 2024-25 before 15 September. With the deadline now passed, several trade unions have launched protests alleging non-compliance by garden owners.

On Thursday, the Bharatiya Tea Workers' Union, led by Alipurduar MP Manoj Tigga, demonstrated at the Additional Labour Commissioner's office in Siliguri and set a 20 September ultimatum. "If the management fails to pay the bonus by 20 September, we will launch a bigger agitation. The state government will be responsible for any untoward incident," Mr Tigga warned.

Meanwhile, the TCBSU's general secretary wrote to the West Bengal chief secretary, pointing out that although 105 tea gardens in the Dooars and Terai regions have complied, 46 in the Dooars and 40 in the Terai have yet to pay the 20 per cent bonus. "This non-compliance has already sparked protests and could escalate further. We seek immediate intervention to ensure payment as per the advisory," the letter said.

In a separate development, Nagrakata MLA Puna Bhengra lodged a police complaint against five tea gardens for non-payment of the declared bonus. He reminded authorities that the chief minister had officially announced a 20 per cent bonus and tasked the chief secretary with ensuring compliance. "If the labour commissioner does not act immediately, I will take to the streets. The State Government will be fully responsible for any untoward incident," Mr Bhengra cautioned.

Observers note that the government's early advisory was intended to pre-empt last year's confrontations over bonus payments. However, insiders suggest that the advisory has created new complications. With bipartite negotiations fragmented, local leaders of various unions, including the TCBSU, have reportedly struck separate deals with garden managements. Some managements have opted to pay only 12% upfront, promising the remaining amount before Christmas, while a group of companies has proposed paying just 9 per cent.

Political observers say the issue has eroded TCBSU's influence in the plantations at a sensitive time, with the 2026 Assembly elections approaching. Both the union and its central leadership have expressed deep concern over the growing unrest among workers and the possibility of the bonus row snowballing into a larger political flashpoint.