Darjeeling tea workers likely to get 19.75% bonus
The gardens have remained shut for the 100 days owing to the indefinite bandh call by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in support of the Gorkhaland demand.
Darjeeling, September 21: The Darjeeling tea industry bonus meeting at Uttarkanya in Siliguri on Thursday was groundbreaking with all the sides principally agreeing to 19.75% bonus.
However, till the filing of this report, the number of installments that the bonus would be disbursed in was not agreed upon.
There are 87 tea gardens in the Darjeeling Hills. The gardens have remained shut for the 100 days owing to the indefinite bandh call by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in support of the Gorkhaland demand.
On September 18, rebel GJM leaders Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa had met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apprising her of the woes of the tea garden workers owing to the more than three-month long closure.
Following
the
meeting
with
the
GJM
leaders,
the
Chief
Minister
had
directed
that
a
tripartite
talks
be
held
on
September
21
between
the
tea
garden
unions,
tea
management
and
the
State
Labour
Commissioner
to
ensure
that
bonus
be
paid
in
Hill
tea
gardens
and
normalcy
be
restored.
A
few
gardens
in
the
Kurseong
belt
have
opened
up
recently.
There
are
around
85,000
workers,
both
permanent
and
temporary,
employed
in
the
87
tea
gardens
in
Darjeeling.
Thursday's meeting at Uttarkanya, the mini State Secretariat near Siliguri, was attended by the State Labour Commissioner, representatives of the Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA,) representing the Management along with representatives of operational tea garden unions affiliated to the TMC; CPIM; both the Binay Tamang and Bimal Gurung factions of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha; Gorkha National Liberation Front; Jan Andolan Party and the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist.
In the meeting that commenced at around 2:30 pm saw negotiations continuing well into the night with all the sides initially having agreed to 19.75 % bonus.
The Darjeeling Tea Association then remarked that as soon as the gardens would become operational bonus would be disbursed immediately.
This led to a verbal battle with the tea unions demanding that the DTA clarify what they meant by "immediate."
DTA insisted that bonus be disbursed in 4 installments with the first installment to be disbursed immediately after the gardens become operational. This however sparked a fresh round of arguments.
The
tea
unions
seemed
a
divided
house.
The
Darjeeling
Himalayan
Plantation
Union
affiliated
to
the
GNLF
demanded
that
20%
bonus
be
paid
in
a
single
installment.
The
representatives
of
the
trade
union
affiliated
to
the
GJM
demanded
20%
bonus
but
added
that
it
could
be
disbursed
in
to
two
installments
one
before
Dusserah
and
the
other
before
Diwali.
The
CPIM
affiliated
trade
union
also
demanded
that
bonus
be
paid
in
a
single
installment.
With
differences
in
opinion
the
DTA
representatives
left
the
Hall
allowing
the
Unions
to
sit
among
themselves
and
arrive
at
a
consensus
regarding
the
number
of
installments.
Following
this
the
meeting
resumed
and
was
still
continuing
at
the
time
of
filing
of
this
report.
There are 87 tea gardens in the Darjeeling Hills. Last year the Darjeeling gardens had received 19% bonus. "The meeting is still on. We are trying to arrive at a decision that will be acceptable to all the sides" stated Sandeep Mukherjee, Principal, DTA.
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