The recent decision of the Kerala government to raise daily wages of plantation workers to Rs 546 from 1 April, has once again brought the issue of low wages in the tea gardens of north Bengal into sharp focus, with workers’ organisations demanding immediate enforcement of statutory minimum wages in the region.
Tea garden workers across north Bengal, ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections, staged demonstrations at the main gates of several plantations on 9-10 March, raising a series of long-pending demands related to wages, employment security and welfare benefits. The protests were organised around a 10-point charter of demands placed before both the state and the central governments.
Reacting to the development in Kerala, Ziaul Alam, general secretary of the Chia Bagan Mazdoor Union (CBMU) and a representative of the Joint Forum of tea workers’ organisations, said the wage revision highlights the stark disparity faced by tea workers in eastern India. He noted that the increase of Rs 48 per day will take the minimum wage of plantation workers in Kerala’s rubber, tea, coffee and cardamom sectors to Rs 546.
Mr Alam said the move reflects the state’s commitment to implementing the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. However, he alleged that plantation states such as West Bengal, Assam and Tripura are yet to enforce statutory minimum wages, forcing workers to survive on daily wages ranging between Rs 220 and Rs 258.
A major demand raised during the demonstrations in north Bengal was the immediate enforcement of lawful minimum wages in the tea industry. Workers’ representatives alleged that despite a tripartite agreement signed on 20 February, 2015, lakhs of tea workers in West Bengal are still receiving only around Rs 250 per day, one of the lowest wage rates among scheduled employments in the country.
They said a calculated minimum wage of Rs 660 per day had earlier been proposed by workers’ representatives based on government cost indices during the last meeting of the Minimum Wages Advisory Committee held in Madarihat in December 2021.
The demonstrators also demanded an immediate revision of the monthly salary structure for staff, which they claimed has remained pending since the previous agreement expired on 31 March, 2023. They further alleged that key wage components such as Extra Leaf Price (ELP) and Additional Compensatory Pay (ACP) have not been revised since 2017, reducing the daily earnings of workers.
Among other demands were an end to alleged unlawful deductions from wages and denial of maternity and sick leave benefits, regularisation of temporary workers and equal pay for equal work. The workers also called for higher wages and clear task norms for employees operating power-driven machines with proper training and protective gear.
The charter further urged the government to intervene in disputes over retirement age, reopen closed or abandoned tea gardens, and ensure timely payment of wages, provident fund, gratuity and pensions, besides providing land rights, improved education and healthcare facilities, and stronger policy support for the tea sector.