INTTUC secures wage hike for nearly 3K cantonment workers in BJP ‘stronghold’

Jalpaiguri: In a major organisational breakthrough, the Trinamool Congress-backed labour union INTTUC has secured a wage hike for nearly 3,000 contractual workers employed at the Binnaguri Army Cantonment in the Dooars, an area considered a BJP stronghold. The agreement was reached on Monday during a tripartite meeting held at the office of the Central Labour Commissioner in Siliguri.

The development is being viewed as a significant boost for the Trinamool Congress in the Alipurduar Parliamentary constituency, represented by BJP MP Manoj Tigga. The wage revision follows a sustained movement led by the Jalpaiguri district unit of INTTUC over the past six months, demanding implementation of minimum wages for workers engaged by multiple contractor agencies at the cantonment under Banarhat block.

The long-pending issue was resolved in the presence of central labour officials after representatives of the contractor agencies accepted the union’s demands. It was decided that the Central government’s minimum wages would be implemented with effect from March 1, 2026.Jalpaiguri district INTTUC president Tapan Dey said the breakthrough came after repeated representations and protest programmes. “After four months of continuous demands, we announced a 10-day work stoppage followed by a relay hunger strike. Although the contractors skipped the first two tripartite meetings, they attended the third meeting on Monday and agreed to implement minimum wages,” he said.

For years, women workers were paid as little as Rs 250 per day and men Rs 300. Under the revised structure, general workers will now receive a minimum daily wage of Rs 540, while skilled workers and masons will earn at least Rs 760, up from Rs 500 – Rs 600. The meeting was attended by representatives of the contractor agencies, central labour officials, Banarhat block INTTUC president Bidhan Sarkar and Binnaguri regional president Bijoy Prasad.

Reacting to the development, BJP MP Manoj Tigga dismissed Trinamool’s claims, citing unresolved issues in the Dooars tea sector and calling the union’s success “baseless”.