As Durga Puja, and therefore time for bonus, draws near, trouble is brewing in Assam’s tea gardens. This time around, the trade unions have issued an early warning to the managements to prepare for a 20 per cent payment.Bonus spelt trouble for the industry last time, with as many as seven labourers getting killed in strikes that turned violent when managements said they were unable to pay bonus at 20 per cent.The most influential among trade unions, Assam Cha Mazdoor Sangh (ACMS) which is affiliated to the ruling Congress, has already held three rounds of discussions with managements of companies, but failed to find an early solution. Other unions have also discussed the issue with the managements. The tea companies are apparently interested in adopting the West Bengal model where bonus rates vary from garden to garden, depending on the workforce and output.Though the state government had intervened last year to get a better deal for the four lakh-plus labourers, all Congress voters, the companies refused to pay 20 per cent bonus. Consequently, the Congress lost Dibrugarh, a seat which had been with the party for years. The tea industry also faces a series of agitations called by Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association over better facilities for tea workers.
