Labour department to convene a ‘bonus negotiation meeting’

DARJEELING: The Labour Department of West Bengal will hold a tripartite bonus meeting for the Darjeeling Hill tea gardens on Tuesday in Siliguri. The bonus deadlock persists, with management offering 8.33 per cent and all operating trade unions united in their demand for 20 per cent. The workers are walking the agitation path with gate meetings in front of all hill tea gardens along with a blockade on dispatch of made tea from the gardens.

“We received a letter on Monday afternoon from the Labour department informing of a meeting between representatives of the management of Hill tea gardens and operating trade unions at the Shramik Bhawan, Dagapur and Siliguri on September 24 at 2:30 pm,” stated Saman Pathak, trade union leader, Parvatya Shramik Sanghatan Sammanaya Mach (PSSSM- a conglomeration of all operating tea garden workers unions of the Darjeeling Hills). He stated that representatives of the trade unions would be attending the negotiation meeting on Tuesday in Siliguri. “Our demand is a 20 per cent bonus. If talks fail, we will continue with our agitation, including blockade on tea dispatch from the tea gardens and gate meetings. On September 27 we will have a major rally in Darjeeling town,” stated Pathak.

The mammoth rally, aimed at a show of strength, will be attended by workers and union leaders of all Hill tea gardens. The rally will commence from the Darjeeling Mall and will culminate at the Chowk Bazar, via Ladenla Road and MP Road. “At Chowk Bazar, the union leaders will address the gathering,” added Pathak. Earlier the PSSSM had also threatened to call a bandh in the Darjeeling Hills, if negotiations fail.

Incidentally, the bonus percentage was settled for the Dooars and Terai tea gardens at 16% on September 19 at 11 pm following 5 rounds of meetings between management, trade union representatives and the labour department. The 5 rounds included a virtual meeting and 4 rounds of talks in Kolkata.