Tea workers on strike over bonus: Mamata refuses to intervene, says Labour Commission to decide

“I don’t support any strike. A tripartite meeting is going on with the Labour Commissioner regarding the demands of the tea garden workers. They will decide (the matter),” the chief minister told mediapersons in Siliguri before leaving for Kolkata.

When asked if she would intervene, the CM said: “No, I cannot interfere. The Labour Commissioner will sort it out after meeting them.”

Alleging that “a few people are trying to disturb it politically”, the chief minister said the issue of bonus hike “has already been resolved”.

But the labour unions of the tea workers argued that the government’s proposed 16 per cent bonus for high-producing tea gardens and 9 per cent for others does not adequately represent the concerns and demands of the workers. The organisations claimed that a Sunday meeting with tea garden owners was “unsuccessful” as their demands were not met.

Senior trade union leader Saman Pathak said, “A 13 per cent bonus offered by the management is not acceptable. We demand not less than 20 per cent.”

In the 2022-23 fiscal, the tea industry had settled for a bonus payout of 19 per cent, he said.

The Tea Association of India (TAI), on the other hand, said the industry has been passing through a severe financial crisis for a prolonged period.

Anuradha Talwar, a trade union activist, accused the TMC government of “step-motherly treatment” towards tea garden workers.

Meanwhile, the bandh had a minimal impact in Darjeeling city, with most shops remaining open and the police intervening to disperse protesters who attempted to forcibly close businesses.

In Kurseong and Kalimpong, bandh supporters tried to disrupt tourist activities but were also swiftly dispersed by the police.

The Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), the ruling party in the Greater Terai Area (GTA), has expressed solidarity with the tea workers. While not explicitly supporting the strike, BGPM leader Shaktiprasad Sharma said that his party stands with tea workers.

— With PTI Inputs