Morcha counters Partha - Government still pays Rs 67 to workers in hill tea gardens, says Kurseong MLA

Darjeeling, Feb. 9: Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma today rejected the industries minister’s claim that workers in three government-owned tea gardens in the Darjeeling hills were being paid revised wages since April 1 last year.

The trade union of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had yesterday threatened to launch a fast and halt the dispatch of tea from the three hill estates if the wages were not increased from Rs 67 to Rs 90. Minister Partha Chatterjee expressed surprise over the threat and said the government was paying the increased wages. Chatterjee had also said he had told Sharma about the disbursal of the revised pay.

But the Morcha MLA today stood his ground and said the labourers continued to receive only Rs 67 a day.

“It is true that I had met Partha Chatterjee in Calcutta almost two months ago and handed over to him the details. The state government owes an accumulated amount of over Rs 7 crore to the workers as they are not getting the revised wages, we are certain about that. During our meeting, the minister promised me that he would solve the problem immediately (but he didn’t),” Sharma said over the phone from Calcutta.

The West Bengal Tea Development Corporation, (WBTDC), a state government undertaking, runs Pandam, Rangaroon and Rangmuk-Cedar tea gardens in the hills. The three estates have a combined workforce of around 2,300. The threat to launch the fast and halt the tea dispatch was issued by the Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Union, an affiliate of the Morcha.

The government had played an active role in increasing the wage from Rs 67 to Rs 90 in the Darjeeling tea industry with effect from April 1 last year. The Morcha union said yesterday that although the wage deal had been brokered by the government, workers of the three plantations run by the WBTDC were still paid Rs 67.

The agreements with the workers had been signed separately by the Darjeeling Tea Association and the Indian Tea Association on behalf of the garden owners. Most of the tea gardens in the hills are affiliated to either of the associations. Although the government plantations are not members of the DTA or the ITA, they generally implement the pacts inked by the two associations.

When told about the Morcha union’s agitation threat, Chatterjee had expressed surprise yesterday.

“Who said we are not giving them the revised wages? We are giving them the revised wages. I have conveyed this to Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma. This kind of threat is not acceptable,” said the minister.

The MLA was today doubtful if the government could clear the dues as the WBTDC was not in good financial condition. But he saw a ray of hope for the workers as Chatterjee had promised to come to the hills and sort out the problem.

“I had a conversation with the minister in Calcutta a few days back. He said he would be in Kalimpong on February 11 and asked me to meet him there and sort out the matter. I won’t be able to meet him as I will be travelling to Hyderabad. I have told our party’s trade union leaders to meet the minister in Kalimpong. I think that there is a possibility of a solution being reached in Kalimpong. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” said Sharma.