The West Bengal labour department on Monday held a meeting in hybrid mode to discuss the proposed introduction of the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme in the tea plantation sector, amid growing concerns over the deteriorating health infrastructure in tea gardens across the state.
The meeting was chaired by labour minister Moloy Ghatak and attended by officials and stakeholders to deliberate on extending social security coverage to tea garden workers and their families through the ESI scheme.
Reacting to the development, general secretary of the Cha Bagan Mazdoor Union, West Bengal, in a press statement, said the move has come at a time when healthcare facilities in tea gardens are in a “precarious condition,” affecting an estimated 10 to 12 lakh workers and their dependents.
He alleged that the statutory medical advisory board, responsible for overseeing the health needs of tea workers, has remained defunct since 2010, resulting in a steady decline in medical services. “Out of nearly 500 officially recognised tea gardens in West Bengal, only about 25 to 30 are providing statutory medical benefits to some extent. The rest remain outside effective regulation, inspection and monitoring,” Mr Alam said.
He further claimed that most tea garden hospitals and dispensaries lack qualified doctors, nurses, and basic infrastructure, leaving workers dependent on inadequate facilities. According to him, medical reimbursements amounting to lakhs of rupees have remained unpaid for years, forcing many tea worker families to take loans from microfinance agencies at high interest rates.
Mr Alam, convener of the Joint Forum of Trade Unions of Tea Plantations, also expressed concern that introducing the ESI scheme without strengthening existing infrastructure and enforcing statutory obligations under the Plantations Labour Act could impose an additional financial burden on tea garden workers.
“Tea garden workers are currently entitled to free medical facilities under existing laws. Bringing them under the ESI scheme, which requires contributions from both workers and employers, may shift the financial burden onto already underpaid workers, without addressing the core issue of employer accountability,” he said.
He alleged that failure to enforce existing labour laws and penalise defaulting tea garden managements has contributed to the present crisis. He warned that introducing the ESI scheme without ensuring proper infrastructure, funding, and regulatory mechanisms could allow errant employers to evade their statutory responsibilities.
Mr Alam urged the state government to prioritise enforcement of minimum wages, implementation of provisions under the West Bengal Plantations Labour Rules, 1956, and improvement of basic infrastructure, including healthcare, housing, sanitation, drinking water, education, and transport in tea garden areas.
He also called for effective measures to reopen closed and abandoned tea gardens, ensure payment of pending wages and provident fund dues, and provide land rights to eligible tea garden residents.
“Lakhs of tea garden workers, who remain among the most vulnerable sections, expect the state government to fulfil its statutory responsibilities and ensure their basic rights and welfare,” Mr Alam added.
The proposed introduction of the ESI scheme is part of broader efforts to extend social security coverage to plantation workers, though trade unions have called for detailed consultations and safeguards before its implementation.