The Adivasi trade union today withdrew its proposed two-day tea strike

Tea strike called off- Embargo too lifted 

Siliguri, Aug. 14: The Adivasi trade union today withdrew its proposed two-day tea strike from August 17 after a meeting with north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb, two days after Mamata Banerjee spoke of enacting a law to ban shutdowns.

The trade union has also relaxed the embargo on the despatch of tea from the gardens that had been in place since August 5.

The minister told the Progressive Tea Workers’ Union that the government, which had come to power only four months ago, needed time to redress their demands. Later he met Bhaskar Chalia, the secretary of the Terai Branch of the Indian Tea Association, an organisation of planters. “I have requested them to have patience… We have started negotiating with the trade union leaders and with the help of the chief minister and industrial minister Partha Chatterjee, a settlement will be reached,” Deb said.

He has told the Adivasi leaders not to resort to strikes that proved to be counter-productive for both the workers and the industry.

The trade union, the labour arm of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad with considerable clout in the Dooars and the Terai, had been demanding a daily wage of Rs 250 for its workers who now get Rs 67.

On Friday, referring to the recent spate of shutdowns in north Bengal over tea wages, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said her government might be forced to enact a law to ban strikes.

“Considering the positive response from the state government, we decided to withdraw the proposed 48-hour tea garden strike. Apart from that we have also taken a decision to allow the despatch of tea from different tea gardens from August 17,” Sukra Munda, the chairperson of the PTWU, said. “It is up to the government now to arrive at a justified rate for workers’ payment.”

Asked how long his union would wait or what the “justified rate” would be, Sukra skirted the questions.

The Parishad, however, brushed aside the allegations of other trade unions that its agitation had been hurting the interests of the workers. Currently, the PTWU is not a member of any of the two apex bodies of trade unions.

“We were with the Coordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers and followed its instructions without raising any questions for several years. But even after the 64 years of our Independence, the Adivasis remain deprived. So, we decided to form our own trade union,” said John Barla, a Parishad leader.

Minister Deb also vehemently opposed the allegations raised by Citu and Intuc, trade unions of the CPM and the Congress, that the government was “trying to divide the unity of workers” by entering into a dialogue only with the Parishad.

“There is no question of calling only the Parishad for dialogue. They wanted to talk with us and we had only reciprocated. Earlier, the leaders of a section of tea unions had met the state labour minister in Calcutta without any prior appointment,” Deb said. 

TT