The United Tea Workers Front, a forum of five trade unions in the Terai, Dooars and Darjeeling regions, demanded a wage hike for tea garden workers from Rs 95 a day to Rs 322.

The UTWF is a newly formed union in the tea sector.

According to Anuradha Talwar, Convenor of the front, current wage agreements are slated to expire by March 31 and fresh agreements should ensure wage hike “at current market prices for living a healthy life”.

“Wages for tea workers in West Bengal have been kept at precariously low level through collective wage bargaining agreements every three years…Based on the calculations of 15th Indian labour Conference norms and subsequent Supreme Court judgements on providing balanced diet, a tea garden worker should get Rs 322,” she said at a press conference here.

Members of the forum have also claimed that many tea gardens have not cleared provident fund dues of the workers to the tune of Rs 77 crore. A delegation of UTWF met West Bengal Labour Minister Purnendu Bose and submitted their charter of demands to him.

The Minister told Business Line that tea gardens workers of the region have been facing more problems than just low wage and “both the Union Government and the Tea Board should intervene to ensure their basic amenities such as pure drinking water group hospital etc”.

“Ever since the Trinamool Congress came in power in the State (in 2011), wages of the tea garden workers have been raised by almost 34 per cent (from Rs 67 to Rs 95).

“They have bigger socio-economic problems than just low wage… We will discuss the issues at the tripartite meeting,” Bose said.

The State Labour Department has also sought a special fund of Rs 100 crore for developing better sanitation, drinking water availability and hospitals for tea garden workers.

>ayan.pramanik@thehindu.co.in

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