Vital Tea wage settlement meeting remained inconclusive

SILIGURI: The vital meeting to settle new wage structure for around 3.5 lakh workers of over 400 tea gardens in Terai, Dooars and Darjeeling hilly region of West Bengal ended inconclusively on Wednesday at Siliguri. Stakeholders now expect a conclusive decision to come out of the next meet to take place by two or three weeks.

“Though remained inconclusive, but it was not fruitless. The trade unions have pressed hard with their respective demands and we also placed our logics. Hope we all will find a reasonable and acceptable by all kind of landing in the next meet,” said Mr. Prabir Bhatacharya, Secretary General of Tea Association of India.

The meeting revolved around various demands of different trade union organizations and views of planters on them.

Wage structure for tea workers is settled once in three years. After last settlement of 2011, the new one became due in 1st April 2014. During the last settlement in 2011, negotiation was made for a hike of Rs 28 in a span of three years to make it Rs 95 a day in addition to usual fringe benefits like water, electricity, maternity benefit, residence, subsidized food grains etc.

Standing on that, “Now we want an increase of Rs 69 to make it Rs 164 a day,” said Ms. Dola Sen, WB state president of Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress. CITU’s demand was introduction of Variable Dearness Allowance and minimum wage system. On the other side, “We want a wage pattern with parity to NREGA that offers Rs 169 to unskilled and Rs 338 to skilled workers. All tea workers are skilled workers. Thus, their total wage including fringe benefit should be Rs 338 a day,” said Mr. Samir Roy, convener of Defense committee of Plantation Workers Rights, a conglomeration of tea trade Unions.

Commenting on the demands Mr. Bhattacharya said, “We have clarified that introduction of VDA is not possible. At the same time, demands from the other corners are also too tough for planters to accept.” As learnt, planters have offered a rise of Rs 28 over existing Rs 95 to be made in three yearly installments and continuation of usual fringe benefit structure.

However, “The discussions are on and it needs few more rounds of talks to reach any final figure,” said state labour department officials.