The CPM-affiliated Darjeeling District Chiya Kaman Majdoor Union (DDCKMU) has demanded increments to the daily wages of tea garden workers in the hills.
During a meeting of the trade union today in Darjeeling, the DDCKMU adopted a resolution to demand a rise in workers’ wages. CPM leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Saman Pathak said: "We have decided to pressurise the state government to increase the wages of tea garden workers. We will submit a memorandum to the assistant labor commissioner on February 17 in this regard and also table other demands."
According to Pathak, garden workers at present receive Rs 90 as daily wages despite the actual rate being fixed at Rs197. the CPM leader alleged the management is eating into the benefits of the workers by giving them Rs 90 in wages and the rest in the form of fringe benefits such as firewood supply and gratuity. “However, we now want the management to fix workers’ daily wage at Rs 280 excluding the fringe benefits," said Pathak.
The workers were earlier receiving Rs 67 as daily wages and this was revised upwards and fixed at Rs 90 by the management amid pressure from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labor Union in 2011. The new rate came into force from April 2011. Apart from the demand to hike the daily wage, the DDCKMU today also discussed the proposal to privatise state government-run gardens. But it is opposed to plans to privatise five tea gardens under the West Bengal Tea Development Corporation (WBTDC).
"The state government earlier this month decided to hand over five tea gardens under the WBTDC to a private company. The reason cited was that it wants to save the sick gardens. But from 1972 to 1982, those five gardens were under private hands and no improvement was made with matters worsening instead. This had forced the state government to reclaim them," Pathak pointed out. At present, three gardens in the hills and two from the plains are under the WBTDC.
The CPM-led trade union is also against the proposal to privatise dairy producer HIMUL as it feels doing so would be detrimental to the interests of milk producers.
Source:EOI
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| CPM leader Saman Pathak in Darjeeling on Friday |
According to Pathak, garden workers at present receive Rs 90 as daily wages despite the actual rate being fixed at Rs197. the CPM leader alleged the management is eating into the benefits of the workers by giving them Rs 90 in wages and the rest in the form of fringe benefits such as firewood supply and gratuity. “However, we now want the management to fix workers’ daily wage at Rs 280 excluding the fringe benefits," said Pathak.
The workers were earlier receiving Rs 67 as daily wages and this was revised upwards and fixed at Rs 90 by the management amid pressure from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labor Union in 2011. The new rate came into force from April 2011. Apart from the demand to hike the daily wage, the DDCKMU today also discussed the proposal to privatise state government-run gardens. But it is opposed to plans to privatise five tea gardens under the West Bengal Tea Development Corporation (WBTDC).
"The state government earlier this month decided to hand over five tea gardens under the WBTDC to a private company. The reason cited was that it wants to save the sick gardens. But from 1972 to 1982, those five gardens were under private hands and no improvement was made with matters worsening instead. This had forced the state government to reclaim them," Pathak pointed out. At present, three gardens in the hills and two from the plains are under the WBTDC.
The CPM-led trade union is also against the proposal to privatise dairy producer HIMUL as it feels doing so would be detrimental to the interests of milk producers.
Source:EOI
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