Tea Advisory Council meeting cancelled amid bonus dispute for workers
Darjeeling: The Tea Advisory Council meeting scheduled for September 26 at 12:30 pm in the Conference Hall of the State Guest House in Siliguri has been cancelled “due to unavoidable circumstances.” The announcement was made by the Labour department, government of West Bengal on Wednesday, hours after Gorkhaland Territorial Administration chief Anit Thapa had written a letter to the minister-in-charge of the Labour department, stating that he would refrain from attending tea advisory meetings until the request of 20 per cent bonus for the workers of Darjeeling Hill tea gardens are met. While Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak serves as the chairman of the Tea Advisory Council, Thapa is a member of the council.
Incidentally, rounds of talks between the labour unions and the management have failed to resolve the bonus stalemate. While the workers have demanded a 20 per cent bonus, the management is willing to pay 12 per cent. Thapa, in his letter to the Labour minister on Wednesday wrote: “The tea plantation workers in the GTA region have been grappling with low wages, poor working conditions and uncertainty about their future.”
Thapa further stated that it is vital to acknowledge and reward their efforts. “I believe it is important to stand with them during this critical time. Therefore, I will refrain from attending any tea advisory meetings until our request for the bonus is addressed (20 per cent) as participation without resolution would not be meaningful,” stated the letter.
With the tea bonus impasse continuing, workers are on the agitation path in the Hills. Along with holding regular gate meetings in front of the tea gardens, the workers have also stopped the despatch of made tea from the gardens. On September 27, they will be holding a massive protest in Darjeeling town. The rally will start from the Railway station and culminate in a public address at the Chowk Bazar, after passing through the major thoroughfares of the Hill town. Bonus for the Dooars and Terai tea garden has been settled at 16 per cent.
