Officials stated that trade unions on Thursday wanted a 20 percent bonus for tea garden employees in West Bengal’s Dooars and Terai, while planters’ organizations asked them to reconsider their demand due to financially challenged estates in the region.
The West Bengal Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations (CCPA) and operational trade unions of tea gardens met here to deliberate on the rate of bonus for 3.5 lakh tea workers in the Dooars and Terai for the fiscal year 2022-23.
In a statement, the plantation associations’ committee stated, “The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere where both sides presented their views. While the unions have demanded payment of bonus at 20 percent, the CCPA has made a plea to them to reconsider their position in recognition of the present financially stressed condition of the tea industry”.
When asked about the meeting, Joint Forum of Trade Unions convenor Zia-ul-Alam stated that CCPA underlined their concerns about continuing negotiations during Thursday’s meeting.
“They started from 8.33 percent and made an offer of 8.50 percent as the base rate across the group”, Alam said.
Planters’ bodies were unable to be reached for comment.
“They asked unions for a substantial reduction from 20%”, claimed an official with the umbrella organization of trade unions working in the tea sector.
According to Alam, participating union representatives have consistently advocated for a 20 percent base rate with flexible considerations for the financially constrained gardens since the beginning of the negotiations.
He claimed that most of the gardens in the Dooars and Terai region had offered a 20 percent bonus to their workers for FY22 (2021-22), and some of the estates were unable to pay that much due to their deteriorating financial conditions.
The meeting for bonus negotiations has been called off, according to the CCPA.
The next round of the meeting is set to take place in the first week of October.
A separate meeting for the annual bonus of Darjeeling tea gardens workers was held recently.
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