Minimal response to Joint Forum’s tea workers’ protest in North Bengal

Siliguri: The protest called by the Joint Forum, a coalition of around 30 tea trade unions, saw a limited response from tea garden workers in North Bengal. Despite the forum’s appeal for workers to wear black badges on Thursday while working to protest the prolonged delay in fixing a minimum wage, most labourers continued their duties without participating in the demonstration.

Only a few tea gardens in the hills reported workers wearing black badges, while the majority across other plantations remained unaffected. The protest aimed to highlight the decade-long delay in implementing a minimum wage for the region’s tea industry, affecting thousands of workers.

Trade union leaders criticised the Trinamool Congress-led state government for failing to finalise a minimum wage despite forming a Minimum Wage Committee on February 20, 2015. The committee, including tea industry representatives, trade unions and state officials, was initially tasked with determining a fair wage within six months. However, nearly a decade later, no resolution has been reached.

Shankar Paul, a Joint Forum member, expressed frustration over the delay. “A decade has passed, yet no decision has been made. Tea workers have been deprived of their basic right to a minimum wage. We urged workers to wear black badges in protest, but only a small section participated,” he said. Nirjal Dey, President of the Darjeeling District Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC), defended the government’s stance. “The government is ready to implement a minimum wage, but trade unions and tea garden owners have not reached a consensus. The minister earlier assured that a final decision would be taken once all stakeholders

agree,” he said.

While the state government has introduced interim wage hikes, the latest in June 2023, tea workers currently earn Rs 250 per day. Many argue this amount remains insufficient for basic living expenses.

In a separate demonstration, the Tea Garden Students’ Forum organized a protest march from the Khudiram Statue in Mallaguri to the Sub-Divisional Officer’s (SDO) office in Siliguri. They submitted a deputation outlining a six-point agenda addressing educational issues in tea garden areas. The memorandum, supported by 1,200 signatures from students and teachers, was handed over to the SDO for consideration.