The Hindu Business Line : Bengal tea workers to seek higher bonus

“The tea industry is making super normal profit this year and, therefore, should not have problems at paying bonus at an enhanced rate,” said a spokesman for the Coordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers, West Bengal, the body of 18 tea unions of tea garden workers in the State.

“With Durga Puja being due in October, the bonus payment has to be made in September”. The spokesman, however, declined to specify the demand.

“We’ve not decided on the bonus rate which will be firmed up after the finalisation of the wage revision”, he observes.

“But it has to be substantially higher than last year”.

Last year, the bonus agreement, finalised on September 15, provided for varying bonus rates, ranging from 11.9 per cent to 8.5 per cent, depending on the categories of the gardens.

The Category ‘A’ garden was supposed to pay bonus at 11.9 per cent, Category ‘B’ at 10.5 per cent, category ‘C’ at 9.5 per cent and Category ‘D’ at 8.5 per cent.

However, as it is pointed out, not every garden paid bonus despite the industry-level settlement.

A total of 162 gardens paid out of a total of 280. Again, not all Category ‘A’ gardens paid at the stipulated rate.

The same was true about other categories also.

tripartite meeting

Meanwhile, the wage revision talk is believed to have reached a critical stage with the State Labour Commissioner having called a tripartite meeting on August 22 to hammer out a solution.

Inquiries reveal that the employers will be a little more flexible in regard to conceding the demand of the unions which, in turn, too will climb down from their original stand.

The settlement might be reached at a wage rate increase of Rs 12 per worker per day, it is learnt.

About 280 tea gardens in the State employ about three lakh workers.

More Stories on : Tea | Trade & Labour Unions | West Bengal

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