ANALYSIS. Tea workers end 9-day agitation amicably

Bowing to the clout of women estate workers, Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company Ltd (KDHP) conceded to the demands of the strikers at its Munnar tea estates.

The week-long agitation has turned out to be a historic one, with the hill station witnessing a resurgence of the women workforce fighting for their rights by keeping at bay trade union leaders and political parties.

Numbering more than 3,000, the workers resorted to a ‘sit-in agitation’ before the KDHP sales outlet, disrupting movement of vehicles on the Kochi-Dhanushkodi highway in Munnar.

Thanks to the intervention of the Kerala government, it has agreed to pay the bonus at 20 per cent, a major demand of the workers, which was earlier rejected by the KDHP management. This involves 8.33 per cent bonus and 11.67 per cent ex gratia.

A decision in this regard was reached on Sunday night following marathon talks convened at the behest of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

With the decision to enhance the bonus, the women workers have called off their nine-day strike.

On the demand for wage increase, the Chief Minister later told reporters the issue will be discussed at the Plantation Labour Committee meeting scheduled for September 26.

A top KDHP official put the loss at ₹30 crore due to loss of production for 10 days given this is the high-cropping period. Asked about the impact of the strike, he told BusinessLine from Munnar that although the strike lasted for only 10 days, it will have a recurring effect on the productivity for a whole month.

It will take more time to restart operations in all the tea factories. On the extra expenses, he said the company has to pump in an additional ₹5 crore which has to be paid to workers as ex-gratia. “This is a loss and cannot be made up when the sector is in a crisis”, he added.

The women tea pluckers struck work demanding an increase in their wages and bonus, as the company had announced a 10 per cent bonus for the year following drop in net profits.

The meagre payment for their 12-hour job at ₹210 per day for picking 80 kg of leaves for years had led the workers to agitation. However, highly-placed sources in the tea industry described the developments as ‘unfortunate’ at a time when the industry is going through its toughest times.

“The rates are fixed in an emotional and political manner, which will be disastrous for the whole sector”, he said.

It is wrong to say workers are getting only ₹210 per day as wages. Today, the average cost of a worker is ₹350 without taking into consideration the expenses on social welfare and wage-related costs such as PF, leave wages, gratuity etc, he said.

It is agreed that there should be an increase in wages considering the high cost of living. At the same time, there will be an increase in workers’ output also as 65 per cent of production cost in tea is labour, he added.

A veteran trade union leader said, on the condition of anonymity, the government’s inaction to facilitate timely revision of wages and improving housing and welfare measures of the workers as per the Plantation Act exacerbated their anger towards the government.

One positive outcome of the spontaneous protest of workers is that all parties – the company, trade unions and the government – were chastened enough to undo the damage. Ultimately, workers won and other parties acted appropriately.

However, he pointed out strikes across the country against the pathetic conditions of workers will not end peacefully.

“That makes Kerala unique and distinct from the rest of India,” he added.

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