North Bengal Tea Workers Face Humanitarian Crisis

A strange situation has arisen in North Bengal — 15 tea estates owned by one the premier companies in tea, Duncans Industries Private Limited, are in a state of limbo. They are neither closed nor open in the usual sense of the terms, with frightening consequences for the workers on the estates. This situation has added one more chapter to the shameful history of hunger in the tea industry. A report on the situation there entitled “Ignoring Hunger:Report on the Situation In Duncans Tea Estates in North Bengal” is being released for the public.

Earlier on September 8, 2015, the Special Commissioner of the Supreme Court on Right to Food after visiting the gardens wrote to the Chief Secretary, West Bengal Government, asking for immediate steps for relief to the workers. He wrote that “the illegal and undeclared stoppage of wage payments and ration payments in the Duncan gardens has resulted in enormous food distress and livelihood distress, as well as considerable hardship to the workers and their families.”  So far, we are not aware of any effective response by the West Bengal Government.

The report shows that closure (or semi-closure) of Duncans’ estates in North Bengal is becoming a humanitarian crisis of vast proportions. Over 75,000 people have been affected. Two cases of deaths probably due to hunger were also found during the study.  Immediate measures need to be taken by the State Government. There has been drastic decline in earnings and consequent severe deterioration in diets. If we add to this the crisis in drinking water in the estates, along with the total collapse of medical care, we seem near a disaster situation.

The State Government has played a negative role in this crisis by ignoring several important lapses by the Duncans management, such as non-renewal of leases to the garden land, non-payment of dues and rations to workers, not depositing Provident Fund money etc. It has in fact turned a blind eye to several illegal acts of the management.

With no realistic plan being put forward by the management to re-open the gardens, the State Government must step in with short term relief measures, which it is obliged to do under the Supreme Court orders on the Right to Food such as an immediate distribution of GR, followed by regular distribution of rations; opening of MGNREGA works and immediate clearing of all due wages under the MGNREGA; extension of medical facilities through mobile medical camps; ensuring safe drinking water supply for the workers etc.

The State Government must also take measures to ensure that the management immediately opens the gardens and runs them properly. In the absence of such initiative by the management, it must begin the search for new owners, after cancelling leases where necessary. It must also ensure that the dues of the workers are paid by the management so that workers do not have to suffer because of the callousness of the employer.

For Right to Food and Work Campaign, West Bengal

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)