An International Fact Finding Mission is visiting and tea
plantations in Assam and West Bengal from November 27, 2015 to December 4,
2015. With 18 members from 9 countries, the purpose of the Mission is to understand the status of the
human right to food and nutrition - and related rights - of tea plantation
workers and
to hold central and state governments accountable to their national and
international human rights obligations. The mission team has visited tea
gardens in the Dooars, Darjeeling and Assam and has had discussions with both
tea workers and their unions. It is also meeting concerned officials in Assam
and West Bengal such as Mr Amit Mitra, Minister of Industries, Mr Moloy Ghatak,
Minister of Labour, the Secretary General of the Indian Tea Association, the
management of tea companies, such as Tata, Apeejay.
This is the first Fact Finding Mission to be dispatched under the
facilitation of the Global Network on the Right to Food and Nutrition (GNRtFN),
a network composed of social movements and civil society organisations
worldwide to support and give visibility to the struggles for these human
rights. This Fact Finding Mission (FFM) is headed by the International Union of
Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers'
Associations (IUF), who is a member of the GNRtFN. Other participating
organisations are FIAN International, Pesticide Action Network, Right to Food
Campaign (Nepal), Right to Food and Social Security Campaign (Bangladesh) and
the Right To Food Campaign (India). The team consists of activists, experts and
trade union leaders from Brazil, Peru,Germany, United Kingdom, Moldova,
Spain, Bangladesh, Nepal and India.
The Fact Finding Mission will also contribute to current
international processes and dialogues relevant for the human right to adequate
food and nutrition.
