Tea Garden Unions Demand Land Rights for Tea Garden Workers and Implementation of Minimum Wages Act

Yesterday a joint-meeting was held at Darjeeling by the two largest tea garden trade unions – Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union (DTDPLU) and Progress Tea Workers Union (PTWU).

DTDPLU is a frontal organization of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha the dominant political force in the Darjeeling Hills and Terai, and PTWU is the frontal organization of Adivasi Vikash Parishad (John Barla faction), which is dominant political force in the Dooars region.

Following the meeting, the organizations have decided to collectively push for three major demands.

1. LAND RIGHTS FOR TEA WORKERS – till date the tea garden workers do not have any land rights, and they can be asked to leave at anytime, by the tea companies, which makes its a virtually feudalistic system. This is one of the most important demands as far as ascertaining tea workers rights is concerned.

2. IMPLEMENTATION OF MINIMUM WAGES ACT IN DARJEELING, TERAI AND DOOARS – the wages in tea gardens are much lower than even the minimum wages prescribed by the state government, This is nothing but an infringement on the fundamental rights of the tea workers, as well as against the spirit of justice. Implementing the minimum wages act will ensure that workers rights are not trampled upon, and that they are economically secure.

3. OPENING UP OF SHUT TEA GARDENS IN DOOARS – Tea gardens are the life-line of the people in Dooars, and numerous owners have abandoned their gardens without paying the workers their wages, provident funds, gratuity and other dues. Opening up of tea gardens and running them as Worker’s Cooperative would be the best way forward. We request the government to run the tea gardens as Worker’s Cooperative going forward. This will ensure that from operations to management everything will be done by the locals, which will prevent future exploitation and abandonment of the tea gardens.

Here are the 3 demands in Nepali.

१. दार्जीलिङ पहाड़, तराई अनि डुवर्सका चिया श्रमिकहरु बसोबासो गर्दै आइरहेका घर-घड़ेरीको पर्जा-पट्टा उनीहरुकै नाममा प्रदान गरिनुपर्छ।
२. दार्जीलिङ पहाड़लगात तराई-डुवर्सका चियाबगानहरुमा न्यूनतम् रोजी ऐन लागु गरिनुपर्छ।
३. लामो समयदेखि बन्दावस्थामा रहेका डुवर्सका चियाबगानहरु चाडै खोलिनुपर्छ।

उपयुक्त मागहरू पूर्ण नभए तथा सरकारीपक्षबाट यसमाथि ठोस पहल नभए सेप्टेम्बर महीनाको अन्तदेखि पहाड़ अनि तराई डुवर्सव्यापीरूपमा आन्दोलन शुरू गरिनेछ।

The two unions have stated that they will start agitation to ensure the fulfillment of their demands from the end of September.

DAWN team joins the chorus of these unions and requests the government to kindly implement these requests as early as possible.

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