Tea bonus settlement brings life to rural markets in Bengal

SILIGURI: The settlement in tea bonus negotiation has brought respite to rural-level traders in the tea belt of north Bengal.

Bonus in the tea sector plays a role in infusing vibrancy in festive-season sales in the region.

The negotiation on Sunday for 19% of bonus payable by all tea gardens appears to have energised the rural market in the Dooars and Terai tea belt in the foothills.

“With early settlement of bonus, we expect to have early disbursement of that. That will give good length of time before Puja for all to spend on garments or other durables in rural-level markets,” said Bhim Saha, a wholesale trader of apparels. Otherwise, it is a common trend among tea workers to spend a good amount of bonus money on non-essentials, including alcohol, during festival days.

Near 100 wholesalers and 10,000 retail-level traders jointly form a local low-cost festive season readymade garment market worth about Rs 150 crore in the foothills of the region’s tea belt. Over 3 lakh tea workers and their over 5 lakh dependents are the consumers is this market.

“Healthy rural-level festive season trade gives an important cascading effect. Profit generated out of these unorganised markets of low-cost products is spent at city area organised markets of branded items. And then it further climbs up in the trade hierarchy,” said economic analyst Bijan Chakroborty.

Although it started with much debate and tussle between trade unions and tea entrepreneurs’ organisations, the bonus negotiation this year finally ended without much chaos. As settled, all gardens will disburse bonus at a rate of 19% against the demanded 20%. Few financially-weak gardens, as exception, will pay at lower rate.

“Though a load at this tough hour for the planters, we have accepted this to maintain good employee employer relationship,” said KK Mintry, Chairman of Terai Indian Planters Association.

On the other side, “We would have been happier with 20%. But based upon the situation, had to land on 19%,” said Saman Pathak, CITU Darjeeling district secretary.