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Our Bureau

Even the minimum wages stipulated for agriculture workers are not paid to those working in tea estates owned and operated by small growers.

Kolkata , Nov. 7

The West Bengal Government's Labour Department has initiated moves to resolve the issue of bringing workers of the bought leaf factories (BLFs) as also those employed by small tea growers under the purview of minimum wages as stipulated for the State's tea sector.

"The issue will be brought to its logical conclusion through tripartite negotiations," according to West Bengal Government sources.

The average size of a small tea growing garden is 10.12 hectares or less and there are nearly 10,000 such gardens in the State. The number of BLFs, engaged in processing tea produced by small growers, too is large. Together, small growers and the BLFs, thus employ a large number of people but pay much less than what the organised tea industry pays to its employees by way of wages and other benefits. Even the minimum wages stipulated for agriculture workers are not paid to those working in tea estates owned and operated by small growers.

Committee report

The West Bengal Government therefore constituted a Committee on Tea Industry under the Principal Secretary of the Department of Commerce & Industry. The committee, in its report submitted towards the end of 2004, noted: "the factory workers engaged by BLFs should be brought under the industry-wide wage agreements for the tea industry and there should not be any disparity between the wages and benefits paid to the workers engaged in the estate gardens and those engaged by BLFs.

In order to compute the wages applicable to BLF workers, the present cash value of subsidy on ration and fuel wood supplied by the estate gardens to its workers should be added as ration and fuel wood not normally supplied by the BLFs.

Similarly, workers in the small grower's sector should be brought under the purview of the minimum wages for agricultural workers.

More Stories on : Labour Reforms | Tea | West Bengal

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