Siliguri/Jaigaon, Aug. 16: Trade unions today said they would resume agitation after a week if tea planters failed to arrive at a decision on garden workers’ wages by then, the announcement coming after a request from tea managements to come up with a realistic demand.
But the rift among the trade unions continued even as the Adivasi Vikas Parishad’s labour wing scaled down their demand to Rs 90 a day. In the last tripartite talks, they had demanded Rs 130, although in public — specially on banners and during slogans — they continued to claim that they wanted a daily wage of Rs 250 for tea workers.
Currently, the workers are paid Rs 67 a day.
The Adivasi-backed union, however, is not a member of any of the two apex bodies of trade unions, which till sometime back had been negotiating together. But today, the Defence Committee for Plantation Workers’ Rights alleged that the other apex body — the Coordination Committee of Plantation Workers — was keeping them away from the wage discussions.
In Jalpaiguri, the Co-ordination Committee, consisting mostly of Left trade unions, said it was willing to give a week’s time to the planters. “They had sent us a letter, urging us to consider the production cost of tea and place a realistic demand for the revised wages. We have information that the state government might convene another round of meeting in the next three-four days. We are willing to wait for another week before we decide on further course of action.”
Observers in the industry said the Coordination Committee with its Left constituents was trying to create a pressure on the Mamata Banerjee government, which had underestimated Citu’s clout in the gardens. On Friday, both the apex bodies had called a bandh which had shut down north Bengal for 12 hours, a move that had not gone down well with Mamata who has been asking people to shun bandhs for a pro-development image. Except for a handful, the rest of the 208 gardens in the Dooars and the Terai were shut on Friday. The Adivasi union, which had not joined the strike, could do little to keep open the gardens where there is a considerable presence of Citu and Intuc.
The Defence Committee, which had supported the strike, today came down heavily on the Co-ordination Committee.
“We had agreed in a meeting on July 23 that both the apex bodies would agitate jointly for revised wages. But today, they held a meeting among themselves. We were left out. This step has shocked us,” said Samir Roy, the convener of the Defence Committee.
“We want to make it clear that if they want to do nothing with us, we will not abide by any decision taken by them. Senior trade union leaders must understand that the negotiation has been hampered because of a separate stand taken by one single trade union (PTWU). Now if there is a split among ourselves, it would further affect collective bargaining,” Roy said.
The convener of the Coordination Committee, Chitta Dey, has however, brushed aside the allegations. “We had certain internal issues to discuss and there is no question of avoiding the other apex body. Certain decisions were taken today and we will, in a day or two, intimate the Defence Committee so that they can in turn inform their constituent unions,” he said.
In Nagrakata, the Adivasi labour wing, the Progressive Tea Workers’ Union, said it was withdrawing its three-day general strike from August 22.
“We decided to withdraw the three-day general strike from August 22 as the state government seems to be sincere in resolving the crisis,” Tezkumar Toppo, the PTWU vice-chairman, said after the meeting.
On Friday, Mamata threatened to enact a law banning strikes, referring to the spate of shutdowns and the embargo imposed by the Adivasi union on the despatch of tea in north Bengal. On Sunday, PTWU leaders met north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb, who had told them that the government should be given some time to resolve their problems. After that, the trade union lifted the tea strike for August 17 and 18 and the embargo as well.
“Tomorrow, we will hold gate meetings in each garden to apprise our supporters of the decision and the progress we have achieved so far. We will then wait till August 25 and if no development is seen till then, our movement would resume the next day,” Toppo said.
The PTWU today also admitted that they had scaled down their demand from Rs 250 a day to Rs 130 during the last round of negotiations with the planters. “Again, considering the request of planters to think of production costs and the tea prices, today we decided to reduce the daily wage demand to Rs 90 per day,” Toppo said. “We want Rs 90 to be paid immediately as revised wage for the first year, followed by annual increments in the next two years. Under no circumstances, will we come down further.”
But the rift among the trade unions continued even as the Adivasi Vikas Parishad’s labour wing scaled down their demand to Rs 90 a day. In the last tripartite talks, they had demanded Rs 130, although in public — specially on banners and during slogans — they continued to claim that they wanted a daily wage of Rs 250 for tea workers.
Currently, the workers are paid Rs 67 a day.
The Adivasi-backed union, however, is not a member of any of the two apex bodies of trade unions, which till sometime back had been negotiating together. But today, the Defence Committee for Plantation Workers’ Rights alleged that the other apex body — the Coordination Committee of Plantation Workers — was keeping them away from the wage discussions.
In Jalpaiguri, the Co-ordination Committee, consisting mostly of Left trade unions, said it was willing to give a week’s time to the planters. “They had sent us a letter, urging us to consider the production cost of tea and place a realistic demand for the revised wages. We have information that the state government might convene another round of meeting in the next three-four days. We are willing to wait for another week before we decide on further course of action.”
Observers in the industry said the Coordination Committee with its Left constituents was trying to create a pressure on the Mamata Banerjee government, which had underestimated Citu’s clout in the gardens. On Friday, both the apex bodies had called a bandh which had shut down north Bengal for 12 hours, a move that had not gone down well with Mamata who has been asking people to shun bandhs for a pro-development image. Except for a handful, the rest of the 208 gardens in the Dooars and the Terai were shut on Friday. The Adivasi union, which had not joined the strike, could do little to keep open the gardens where there is a considerable presence of Citu and Intuc.
The Defence Committee, which had supported the strike, today came down heavily on the Co-ordination Committee.
“We had agreed in a meeting on July 23 that both the apex bodies would agitate jointly for revised wages. But today, they held a meeting among themselves. We were left out. This step has shocked us,” said Samir Roy, the convener of the Defence Committee.
“We want to make it clear that if they want to do nothing with us, we will not abide by any decision taken by them. Senior trade union leaders must understand that the negotiation has been hampered because of a separate stand taken by one single trade union (PTWU). Now if there is a split among ourselves, it would further affect collective bargaining,” Roy said.
The convener of the Coordination Committee, Chitta Dey, has however, brushed aside the allegations. “We had certain internal issues to discuss and there is no question of avoiding the other apex body. Certain decisions were taken today and we will, in a day or two, intimate the Defence Committee so that they can in turn inform their constituent unions,” he said.
In Nagrakata, the Adivasi labour wing, the Progressive Tea Workers’ Union, said it was withdrawing its three-day general strike from August 22.
“We decided to withdraw the three-day general strike from August 22 as the state government seems to be sincere in resolving the crisis,” Tezkumar Toppo, the PTWU vice-chairman, said after the meeting.
On Friday, Mamata threatened to enact a law banning strikes, referring to the spate of shutdowns and the embargo imposed by the Adivasi union on the despatch of tea in north Bengal. On Sunday, PTWU leaders met north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb, who had told them that the government should be given some time to resolve their problems. After that, the trade union lifted the tea strike for August 17 and 18 and the embargo as well.
“Tomorrow, we will hold gate meetings in each garden to apprise our supporters of the decision and the progress we have achieved so far. We will then wait till August 25 and if no development is seen till then, our movement would resume the next day,” Toppo said.
The PTWU today also admitted that they had scaled down their demand from Rs 250 a day to Rs 130 during the last round of negotiations with the planters. “Again, considering the request of planters to think of production costs and the tea prices, today we decided to reduce the daily wage demand to Rs 90 per day,” Toppo said. “We want Rs 90 to be paid immediately as revised wage for the first year, followed by annual increments in the next two years. Under no circumstances, will we come down further.”
-TT
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