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Bengal

Minimum Wages Act implementation: DTDPLU threatens to launch agitation

The Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union (DTDPLU) which is affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has threatened to launch an agitation if the West Bengal government fails to implement the Minimum Wages Act for tea garden workers by the first week of April.

Incidentally every three years, wage negotiation meetings are held for tea garden workers. The last meeting was held in 2014 when daily wages were hiked from Rs 90 to Rs 132.50. The tea garden unions at that time had demanded the implementation of Minimum Wages Act for the tea garden workers. A prolonged agitation was launched by different tea trade unions.

Finally, the state government had agreed in principal and set up a committee on February 20, 2015 to look into the issue. The committee with representatives from the state government, tea garden management and the trade unions is headed by the principal secretary of the Labour department. The committee is scheduled to submit its report within February 2017.

Moloy Ghatak, State Labour Minister, during the formation of the committee had declared that justice would be meted out to the tea garden workers through this committee.

"The existing wage agreement expires on March 31, 2017. We demand that the minimum wages be implemented within the first week of April , 2017. The state government committee on minimum wages has already held three meetings but they have remained inconclusive." alleged Suraj Subba, President, DTDPLU.

Incidentally the DTDPLU is part of the Joint Forum of Trade Unions of Tea Industry of West Bengal (A conglomeration of 24 tea trade unions).

"Failure of the government to implement the Minimum Wage Act will lead to widespread unrest in the tea gardens. The agitation will be launched under the aegis of the Joint Forum throughout North Bengal." warned Subba who is also the advisor of the forum. The last meeting of the minimum wage committee was held on March 11 at Uttorkanya near Siliguri.

Minister Ghatak had also attended the meeting which remained inconclusive.

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