Bengal government advises 19% bonus for Hill tea gardens

Siliguri: With the bonus issue for the Hill tea gardens (Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong) reaching a deadlock in a meeting held at the office of the Additional Labour Commissioner in Siliguri on Monday, the Government of Bengal intervened to amicably settle the issue. The government through the Additional Labour Commissioner, North Bengal Zone has advised that bonus be paid at 19 per cent for Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong Hill gardens for the accounting year 2022-23.

Incidentally, multiple rounds of meetings between the tea garden management and trade unions had failed to resolve the bonus issue with the trade unions demanding 20 per cent bonus and the Management not budging from the stipulated minimum as per the Bonus Act 1965 which is 8.33 per cent. Finally the Labour department of the Bengal government had convened a meeting at the Shramik Bhawan in Siliguri on Monday to resolve the issue. The meeting commenced at 2 p m.

While the meeting was on, workers from Hill tea gardens protested outside the Shramik Bhawan demanding a 20 per cent bonus. They had even threatened to shut down all hill tea gardens from October 18, if the matter was not resolved amicably.

“Finally the bonus negotiations entered a stalemate when the unions stood at a bonus of 19 per cent and the management stuck at 12 per cent. The government then intervened to amicably settle the issue,” stated Sandeep Mukherjee, principal advisor, Darjeeling Tea Association. Incidentally the bonus per cent for the Terai and Dooars tea gardens had been settled at 19 per cent recently.

At around 10 p m, after prolonged discussion the government through the Additional Labour Commissioner advised 19 per cent bonus.

Regarding the financially stressed gardens and its disbursement, the matter may be decided at a local level between management and unions, added the advisory. In case of any dispute over the disbursement of bonus the matter may be referred to the respective Regional Labour Offices for necessary intervention.

“The meeting continued for 7 rounds and finally we left the meeting with the deadlock, leaving the ball in the government’s court. They will decide. If we are not satisfied with the decision we (trade unions) will sit in a meeting on Tuesday and decide on future course of action,” stated JB Tamang of the trade union affiliated to the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha.