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Kolkata, Aug 8: North Bengal's famed tea industry will be shut for one-day on August 11 as the tripartite meeting between tea workers, planters and the state labour department on wage revision of garden workers remained inconclusive.
The workers have threatened to intensify their agitation and go on indefinite strike from August 18 if their demands are not met immediately.
Unions representing the Darjeeling Hill Workers' Union have softened their stand and agreed to a wage increase of Rs 5 per year for daily labourers, one rupee less than their earlier demand for the next three years. But planters feel this will be difficult to accept, as even a one rupee increase in wage per year translates into 70 paise increase in the cost of tea production.
According to sources, although workers' unions have asked for an increase of Rs 5 per year for next three years at the meeting held on Thursday, planters are only willing to an increase of Rs 3.70 per year for next three years for the daily wage earners.
Manohar Tirkey, general secretary of the Dooars Cha Bagan (tea estates) Workers' Union, (UTUC) said, “We will go for an indefinite strike from 18th August if the management does not agree to our demands and will be joined by other trade unions like CITU and INTUC.”
The present tri-partite wage agreement signed on July 2005, for tea garden workers in West Bengal expired on 31st March 2008.
The wage was fixed at Rs 53.90 per day. The employers represented by the Consultative Committee of Planters' Association (CCPA) have started negotiations with the Co-Ordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers and the Defence Committee for Plantation Workers Rights, West Bengal and the Unions representing the Darjeeling Hill Workers Unions.
Meanwhile, the present negotiations conducted at a tri-partite level under the Labour Commissionerate, West Bengal has already conducted two rounds of discussions but is yet to come to a conclusion regarding wages and tenure of the agreement.
While the planters are keen for a four-year agreement period, unions have demanded that it should be three years. Manojit Das Gupta, secretary of Indian Tea Association said, “employers have asked unions that a strike is not necessary perhaps as it hurts every section of the industry.” According to him the gap between Union's demand and what the planters have agreed to pay is narrowing down. “If the tenure is for more than three years then it is easier for the planters to manage the cost spread,” he said.
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