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.
Workmen across various sectors of the tea industry in North Bengal are set to stage an hour-long morning assembly and demonstration at every tea garden, estate, and factory on one of the following days—23, 24, or 25 June.
Hundreds of tea workers took to the streets, claiming that the state government's decision reflects collusion with plantation owners.
The Tea Workers’ Protection Committee (Chiya Shramik Suraksha Samiti) in Darjeeling has called for an indefinite bandh in the Hills starting Monday after the tripartite meeting convened by the Labour Department ended inconclusively today over the demand for a 20 per cent Puja bonus for workers in the 87 Hill tea gardens.
"When the Relief Fund was initiated, the GTA had taken a resolution to share its own matching grant against the donated amount as per an official statement, which would take the amount up to Rs 4 crore and 24 lakh,"
"Despite the at least 20 percent production loss due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the CCPA, keeping in mind the workers' plight during the lockdown, has agreed to make such bonus payment," an official said.
Miss Banerjee today held a review meeting to take stock of the present situation through video conferencing with all district officials and doctors of medical colleges and hospitals of the state.
Official sources said that the management had to leave the garden following workers' agitation on 18 July as the management had been having problems in paying the due wages.
At a time when the Trinamul Congress-led state government is trying hard to hike the remuneration of tea workers, sub…
Joint Forum (JF), a conglomeration of over 23 trade unions, will hold a meeting on 29 June to formulate its…
