Tea Workers Receive Pitiable Wages

The round table meeting on wages in tea sector held at Siliguri on wages in the tea sector organised by Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS) and the Progressive Plantation Workers Union (PPWU) expresses utter concern at the extremely pitiable wages and working conditions of the workers of this sector.

Participants at the meeting included prominent civil society activists like Harsh Mander and Binayak Sen, academicians like Professor Sharit Bhowmik, earlier with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and prominent trade unionists like Ashim Roy and the leadership and other members of DTDPLU, PPWU, WBTGEA, NBTPEU, PBKMS and others.

It was noted that despite growing domestic demand for tea backed up with rising prices, the employers’ stubborn refusal to pay decent wages is bring this labour intensive industry to a grave crisis. It is strange to note that in spite of lower productivity and product prices, wages in South India are much higher, ranging from Rs.206 to Rs.254. However, wages in North India, with higher productivity and tea prices has only a wage of Rs.158 (proposed in West Bengal) and Rs.177 (Assam’s draft notification).

The meeting discussed other factors degrading workers like rampant violations of the Plantation Labour Act, productivity linked wages, the setting of arbitrary tasks, incentives and disincentives and how these were making it almost impossible for many workers to earn even the industry level wage fixed by collective bargaining.

Another issue that was touched upon was that of the expansion of small growers and bought leaf factories and the absence of any kind of regulatory framework for workers in such units. The adverse impact of small growers on prices as well as quality of tea, and subsequently the impact on workers’ wages were noted.

The issue of Duncans management jeopardising the lives of 74,190 people who were living in the gardens, including the families of 18,323 workers was noted with serious apprehension. The State Government was however equally to blame for turning a blind eye to the rapidly deteriorating situation in these gardens and for not taking steps against the management. It was clear that starvation was setting in, in these gardens.

The meeting decided to put forward a common consensus letter to the State Government critiquing their draft of Rs. 158 as minimum wages. It was also decided to seek amendments to the Plantation Labour Act in at the national level. More locally, leadership training programmes for garden level leadership on the issue of wages have been planned. An intensive study of the task-productivity-incentive system has also been planned to critique the same and come up with alternatives.

Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, 1 Shibtala Road, Vill Maheswarpur, Badu, Kolkata

Progressive Plantation Workers Union, PO Nagrakata, PS Nagrakata, Dist, Jalpaiguri

Hosiery Workers Go On Strike Demanding Minimum Wages

The hosiery industry faces a grievous crisis today. The employers have taken an inhuman and rigid stand towards the wage issue raised by workers. They are refusing to pay the State Government declared minimum wage of Rs.7575 per month, especially in the stitching department. As per the law of the land, payment of minimum wages cannot be made conditional on productivity. Despite this, the employers have directly connected payment of minimum wage to production, pressurising workers to work at levels which are exhausting. Thus, their inflexibility about payment of minimum wage is not only illegal, it is also inhuman and immoral. The hosiery workers demand:

• immediate and unconditional payment of minimum wages
• attendance register and wages register in all factories
• appointment letter for all workers.
• safe and clean working environment in all factories
• equal wages for equal work for all women workers.

The Joint Action Front of all hosiery worker unions has called for a strike on all the above issues from 11th to 14th May 2015.

The Oshongothit Khetra Shramik Sangrami Manch extends its full support to the strike.

Swapan Ganguly, Somnath Ghosh

Convenors

'Punish The Murderers of Feroze Dafadar'

Feroze Dafadar, member of Paschim Banga Telecom Tower Workers Union (constituent of our Asanghathita Kshetra Shramik Sangrami Mancha and an affiliate of NTUI) was brutally murdered by the ruling party goons on May 1, 2015. He is also a Panchayat Pradhan of Dhanonjoypur gram panchayat under Nakashipara police station. We condemn his murder. We demand immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the murderers.

 
Swapan Ganguly & Somnath Ghosh (Conveners)

Join The General Strike, Defend Working Class Rights

With the open use of a violent goon army, supported by the Trinamul Congress, the administration and even the State Election Commission, and with ordinary people unable to vote, the 2015 West Bengal Municipal elections was turned into an example of election-by-terror. The present regime has followed the footsteps of the previous Government, but with even more ferocity and violence. The Trinamul Congress (TMC) which came to power on the slogan of Paribartan or change has ended up instead with a rule replete with promoters, cheats, rapists and goons.

It is not as if elections can create heaven on earth. But it is a part of our democratic rights- it is our right to vote with freedom and to remove a party we do not like. We were the first to start protests on the streets after the TMC came to power. We did not do this from any political party interest. Our struggle was for the rights of the unorganised sector workers. We live in a State where most workers do not get minimum wages, where there is no guarantee to get work and where workers are deprived of any social security. In our State, the procession of tea plantation workers who have died due to starvation and of farmers who commit suicide because they cannot sell their produce continues. Despite all this, the Government's attention is focused on clubs who receive lakhs of rupees. The reason behind this has become clear after the vote- the strategy has been to tap into the frustration of a section of hopeless, unemployed youth, creating an army of goons that are a powerful weapon in the fight to win elections.

However time and again, working people and unemployed youth in search of employment are faced with the truth that is only through united struggle that there can be any sustainable change in their situation. Rights won through hard struggles can only be expanded and protected through such struggle. However for such a struggle we need democratic space and rights. And, we have experienced that no government is willing to accept these democratic rights without a sustained struggle. Without the right to vote freely, other democratic rights also tend to be under attack.  

During the Left Front's regime also, working people were repeatedly deprived and workers and farmers were the target of bullets. The question is not about whether the CPI(M) got votes or not, but about people's democratic right. While we have very justified reasons for being angry with the CPI(M), maintaining a "neutral" role in the present situation will be our loss. Therefore not because we are dreaming of a Left Front victory, but because we want a better life for working people (which is possible only through struggle), we appeal to everyone to take a step in this direction by supporting the strike called on 30^th April. This strike may be a method for the Left to capitalise on the anger and frustration of people with the elections and to use this for their narrow electoral objectives. But the anger and frustration of the common people with the present elections is a reality. So, we are calling on all working people to use this strike as a weapon to protect their democratic rights. We demand a clean, transparent, non-partisan administration and police functioning. We demand an end to partisan politics and the establishment of true democracy. We demand an end to the use of muscle power. We demand the establishment of an open, democratic political culture.

Swapan Ganguly, Somnath Ghosh (Convenors)

'Asanghathita Kshetra Shramik Sangrami Manch'