The state labour department has called for an urgent tripartite meeting to discuss grievances of workers, sub-staff and staff of tea gardens of North Bengal and the present state of affairs in plantations, following the Joint Forum’s decision to go for a three-day industrial strike in the tea sector from 23 July. The forum has been demanding implementation of the Minimum Wages Act in the tea sector.

The Joint Labour Commissioner, North Bengal Zone, on Tuesday issued a notice to all nine planters’ associations and 33 trade unions, requesting them to attend the meeting at Uttarkanya in Siliguri on Wednesday.

Official sources said the meeting was called following instructions from the state labour minister, Moloy Ghatak, after he came to know about the agitation programmes that began on Monday and is scheduled to end with a general strike on 25 July.

“We have called the tripartite meeting to inform the owners and workers of our initiatives, some of which have already been implemented, to resolve issues related to the industry, including wages and ration for workers,” said Pashupati Ghosh, the advisor to the labour minister. “West Bengal state Labour Commissioner Sri Javed Akhtar, IAS, will attend the meeting,” he added.

Sources, meanwhile, said that the meeting was called on an urgent basis in order to pacify the agitating trade union leaders associated with the Joint Forum.

“The objective of the meeting is to request them to change their mind, as the state government is working on all the issues seriously in the interest of workers in the tea industry, including the interim hike in the wages of both workers and sub staffs and staffs,” the official said.

Another source said that the Trinamul Congress-led state government decided to hold the tripartite meeting just to save the face of the ruling party-backed trade unions.

“Trinamul Congress backed trade unions do not usually stage demonstrations for tea workers. Tea workers will obviously support the Joint Forum, which is vocal for the workers’ issues and fights for them throughout the year,” official sources said.

It may be noted that tea workers have already started organizing gate meetings in their respective tea plantations from on Monday, while such meetings are scheduled to continue till on Wednesday. Workers are scheduled to take out a torch rally on 5 and 6 July and a cycle rally on 7 and 8 July, demanding Minimum Wages.