Bonus dispute sparks protests in tea gardens, over 1K workers left in limbo

Jalpaiguri/Alipurduar: Protests erupted in two Dooars tea gardens over bonus disputes, with allegations of police resorting to a lathi-charge on workers. In one case, the tea garden owner and management reportedly abandoned the estate, leaving 1,340 workers in distress just a day before Puja.

At Nageshwari Tea Garden, after consecutive gate meetings and nearly 23 hours of road blockade, workers began receiving their bonus at a 10 per cent rate in cash from Sunday morning under tight police supervision. While the initial turnout was small, the crowd grew steadily.

Workers had earlier blocked the Chalsa-Meteli state road on Friday and Saturday demanding a 20 per cent bonus. The protest ended around 5:30 pm on Saturday. During the agitation, police were accused of lathi-charging workers, though officials denied the allegation.

Alipurduar Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tigga and Nagrakata MLA Puna Vengra joined the workers during the protest. Nageshwari Tea Garden, part of Conference Tea & Beverage Private Limited, had announced on September 20 that a 10 per cent bonus would be paid before Puja, 5 per cent by December 31 and the remaining 5 per cent during Faguwa festival, angering the workers.

District Superintendent of Police Umesh Ganpath said: “The management presented a new bonus proposal, accepted by most workers. Some outsiders disrupted the process, but workers later lifted the blockade peacefully. Bonus distribution began successfully. Allegations of police lathi-charge are baseless.”

Meanwhile, the sudden closure of Chinchula Tea Garden in Alipurduar district intensified worker anger. On Saturday, enraged workers blocked Kalchini Chowpathi road, causing widespread commotion.

Worker Bindu Lama said: “The Chief Minister announced a 20 per cent bonus and the management promised two installments. Abandoning workers at the last moment is unjust. We were ready to accept installments, but the management deceived us. Now we worry about celebrating Puja and providing new clothes for our children.”

District Labour Commissioner Gopal Biswas said: “A tripartite meeting was called but failed due to management absence. The office will remain closed for Puja and the meeting will be rescheduled after the festival.”