The management of Singtom tea garden in Darjeeling abandoned the garden on Wednesday, an outcome being seen as a fallout of the workers’ agitation for 20 per cent bonus ahead of the festive season.
The manager and his assistant were not found in the garden near Darjeeling town on Wednesday morning.
Sources in the management told The Telegraph that the manager and his assistant felt insecure due to the ongoing bonus agitation.
Workers of the tea garden are holding gate meetings and have stopped dispatch of tea from all hill gardens since September 18 demanding a 20 per cent bonus.
“We have cleared all dues to the workers till August 31. We told the union leaders to allow us to dispatch tea so that we arrange funds to pay the workers but they refused,” said a source.
The management claimed that tea worth around ₹30 lakh to ₹35 lakh is presently stored in the factory.
Apart from the fund crush precipitated by the blocking the dispatch of tea leaves, the management sources alleged that their employees were “intimidated” during the gate meetings by the workers.
“In the past our managers were even physically attacked. This time, too, the garden officials were being intimidated during the gate meeting and they felt insecure,” thesource added.
Workers are gathering in front of factory gates across the tea estates in Darjeeling and holding demonstrations to press their demand.
The management left without any serving any notice as is usually done when the management leaves the garden.
The garden management admitted that the tea industry is under stress.
“The reality is that tea gardens in Darjeeling are facing annual losses ranging from ₹2 to 4 crore. Many people want to sell tea gardens but there are no takers,” said the source.
The management cited the influx of tea from Nepal and also high absenteeismas some of the reasons forlow yield.
“We have a strength of 780-odd registered workers in our garden but on any day only about 480-odd workers turn up for work,” the source added.
The Singtom garden also runs a resort which is open to tourists.
J.B. Tamang, the president of the Hill Terai Dooars Plantation Workers Union, which is affiliated to Anit Thapa’s Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), said that the management had left the garden without citing any reason.
“They have left without citing any reason. They are in the habit of leaving thegarden and returning,” said Tamang.
The union leader said that dispatch of tea had been stopped in all gardens, not just Singtom. “Our demand for 20 per cent (bonus) is justified,” said Tamang.
Gardens in the Terai and the Dooars have agreed to pay a bonus at the rate of 16 per cent.
Thapa on Wednesday wrote to Moloy Ghatak, labour minister, seeking a 20 per cent bonus. Thapa also said that he would not attend the tea advisory meeting until the bonus issue is solved.
Later in the evening, the labour department issued a notice cancelling the tea advisory meeting scheduled for Thursday. The bonus negotiation for Darjeeling’s tea industry is being facilitated by the labour department.
The next round of the bonus meeting has been scheduled for Friday in Siliguri. The industry has so far agreed to pay 12 per cent bonus,sources said.