Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union threatens to paralyze tea gardens

DARJEELING: The Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union (DTDPLU), affiliated to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), has threatened to paralyze tea gardens to press for its demand of increase in salary of the super staff during wage negotiation later this month.

DTDPLU had given the tea garden management time till November 15 to provide a positive response to its demand. The management, however, sought time till November 28, the day for salary negotiation, to respond to the demands.

On Friday, the GJM-affiliated trade union that is in the majority these days held a meeting with super staffers of various tea gardens of the Hills to chalk out strategies. which would help them to counter the management in case of a no-consensus conclusion.

"We wanted the garden management to give their assurance by November 15. But owing to various circumstances, the decision will be given later this month.

We don't want to divulge our action plan at this moment but it is definitely sure that we will paralyze work in the tea gardens," warned P T Sherpa, DTDPLU president. after the meeting in Darjeeling. Wage and bonus negotiations of tea garden workers are held every three years. The last negotiation was held in 2008. This year, negotiation for salary of super staffers, supposed to be concluded by March 31, could not be held. However, negotiations for wages of labourers and sub-staff have already borne fruit with record increase.

"We want that salary of super-staff to be increased. at par with that of the sub-staffers.

We want the gross increase to be at 33 % at one time instead of over a three-year period," said Sherpa. In March earlier this year, the trade union imposed an embargo on dispatch of ready tea leaves, thus compelling the management to give 20 % increase in bonus which was a record in the Hills. In July, salary of the sub-staff was increased by 33 % at one go instead of gradual increase.

The 1400-odd super staffers (clerical, medical and technical employees) are graded in various categories according to their posts. Salary of the clerical and medical staff ranges between Rs 5,000 and Rs 9,000. Minimum and maximum pay of technical is however Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,500 respectively.

The Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA), umbrella organization of the 87 tea gardens in the Hills, however differed with the demands of the union. "The super staffers are better paid because they are an educated lot. Just making demands is not enough as lots have to be done," said Sandeep Mukherjee, DTA principal advisor. Admitting that a salary negotiation would take place on November 28, the principal advisor advised the trade union to ensure better working inputs of the super staff.

"There will be a negotiation meeting with the trade union. However, the point is that the super staff should act responsibly," said Sandeep Mukherjee, DTA principal advisor. and dispense their work in a manner that sets an example among their subordinates which at the moment is lacking," said Mukherjee.

In its meeting on Friday, DTDPLU also discussed the issue of implementing GJM's vision of better education, health and social welfare in the tea industry sector of the Hills. "The vision of our party is to amend the minimum wage policy of the tea garden industry, providing land rights to workers and implementation of the panchayati facilities to over 68,000 people employed in the Hills tea gardens," said Trilok Chandra Roka, the union's legal advisor.

The trade union will also press for proper implementation of the pension policy, which allows opening of zero balance account, for retired workers, in various braches of the State Bank of India.
TOI