Terai Dooars-Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad refuses to lift tea embargo

Siliguri/Jaigaon, July 31: The Progressive Tea Workers’ Union today said it would continue to stall the despatch of tea from the gardens in the Terai and the Dooars unless the planters assured them in writing that the demand for an immediate revision of wages would be considered.

The leaders of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad-affiliated union held a meeting in Malbazar today to discuss north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb’s plea to withdraw the agitation and settle the issue through tripartite talks in Calcutta on August 4.

“Earlier, on the basis of a request from the minister, we had withdrawn the one-day strike planned for July 28. He has again appealed to us to withdraw the ongoing agitation and allow the despatch of processed tea from the estates,” said Tezkumar Toppo, a PTWU leader and the general secretary of the Parishad. “We appreciate the minister’s gesture and attempt to look into the issues. We are thankful to him for even taking us to the chief minister last week. At the same time, we need a letter from the planters who have not sent us any written commitment so far. We want them to write to us, assuring that our demand would be met at the earliest.”

The union once again rejected the planters’ contention that they would not be able to pay the labourers wages and disburse rations.

“We are not ready to buy the theory that they cannot pay wages and distribute ration from tomorrow onwards unless we withdraw the agitation. They have earned crores of rupees in the current season and we feel the warning has been issued in a bid to scuttle our movement,” said Toppo.

The planters said although the workers had been paid wages and disbursed rations in the past two days, it would not be possible to make any payment next week.

“We want to reiterate that unless tea is allowed to move out of the gardens, it is not possible for us to pay wages,” said Prabir Bhattacharjee, the secretary of the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association.

Asked about the union’s demand for a written assurance, Bhattacharjee said: “We have time and again insisted on the restoration of normalcy. We, too, want an early solution to the issue and are ready to increase the wages.”

Sources said the planters had talked to the union leaders, who have sought the letter as a face-saver to withdraw the strike. A source in the Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations, hinted that it was likely that such a letter might be sent in the next couple of days, thus facilitating the lifting of the embargo.

~TT