Centre admits wage delays for tea garden workers under Andrew Yule

Jalpaiguri: The Centre has admitted that tea garden workers in estates under Andrew Yule & Company are facing wage delays of five to six weeks due to financial constraints. The statement came in response to a question raised by Rajya Sabha MP and West Bengal INTTUC president Ritabrata Banerjee on Friday.

Banerjee asked whether workers at Banarhat, Karbala, New Dooars and Chunabhatti tea estates have been receiving irregular wages over the past year. He also sought details on the reasons and remedial measures taken.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada confirmed that Andrew Yule & Company, a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Heavy Industries, has been struggling financially. While wages are paid weekly, delays of five to six weeks persist. He stated that efforts are underway to stabilise payments through stakeholder engagements and productivity improvements.

Criticising the Centre, Banerjee said: “Around 4,000 workers are not receiving their wages on time. The government admitted financial issues but has failed to act. The Prime Minister promised to reopen closed Duncans tea gardens in 2019, yet even Andrew Yule gardens cannot pay wages.

The Centre should be ashamed, while our Chief Minister has reopened tea gardens out of humanity.”

These four estates, overseen by Andrew Yule, support nearly 20,000 people. Wage delays continue to affect their livelihoods. North Bengal has five tea gardens under the central government — four in the Jalpaiguri plains and one in Darjeeling.