Lower Fagu Tea Estate Workers to Receive Full 20 Percent Bonus: Normal Operations To Resume on October 10.

KalimNews, Gorubathan, October 9, 2025 : In a significant development for workers at Lower Fagu Tea Estate, the management has agreed to distribute the full 20 percent bonus for the current year. This announcement, made in a joint meeting today at Shramik Bhavan, Dagapur, held in the office of the Additional Labour Commissioner, North Bengal Zone in Siliguri, comes as a much-needed relief for workers facing the challenges of the tea industry's fluctuating conditions.

Present at the meeting were representatives from Subarnapur Tea Estate Pvt Ltd., the Additional Labour Commissioner, North Bengal Zone, the Deputy Labour Commissioner of Kalimpong, the Asst. Labour Commissioner, and the leaders of the three operational trade unions. The meeting followed the directive from the Calcutta High Court Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri, which had earlier ordered the payment of a 9 percent interim bonus before the Puja festivals, while instructing the remaining 11 percent to be decided through conciliation under the Payment of Bonus Act and the Industrial Disputes Act.

The management has agreed to pay the remaining 11 percent of the bonus after the conciliation process, which has now been clarified and finalized through discussions with labour officials. The management will pay the remaining 4 percent of the bonus before Diwali, and the final 7 percent will be disbursed before July 2026.

Sajiv Adhikari, a leader from the Trinamool Chiya Bagan Shramik Union, expressed gratitude to the union leaders, workers, and the management for their collective efforts to reach this agreement. He stated that the work suspension that began on September 19 would now be lifted, and normal operations would resume on October 10.

The workers at Lower Fagu Tea Estate had initially received a 9 percent interim bonus after the Calcutta High Court ruling, which had clarified that this was not the final settlement. The decision to disburse the remaining 11 percent bonus comes after a series of discussions, underscoring the importance of adhering to the state government’s advisory on bonus payments, a point that was reiterated by the labour officials.

The three major operational trade unions in the tea estate—Hill Terai Dooars Plantation Workers Union (affiliated with Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha), National Union of Plantation Workers (affiliated with INTUC, Indian National Congress), and Trinamool Chiya Bagan Shramik Union (affiliated with AITMC)—were all present at the meeting, showcasing the collective effort and unity of the workers and their representatives.

This bonus payment marks a significant achievement for the workers at Lower Fagu Tea Estate, as it provides not only a financial relief but also reflects a positive development in the ongoing collaboration between management, unions, and the government.