Trinamul Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday made a slew of announcements for tea garden workers, including identity cards and healthcare facilities, and threatened to lay siege to the homes of BJP MPs and MLAs in north Bengal if the Centre didn’t solve the problems the labourers faced in linking their provident fund accounts to Aadhaar cards by December 31.
Abhishek, Trinamul’s national general-secretary and Diamond Harbour MP, made the announcements at a public meeting in Malbazar, a town surrounded by tea estates in Jalpaiguri district. The meeting — exclusively for tea garden workers — was organised by the INTTUC, the trade union of Trinamul. This is the first time in recent years that the ruling party of Bengal has hosted such a meet.
“We will strive for the progress of all three-and-a-half lakh workers in the tea industry of Bengal. A number of issues pertaining to provident fund and gratuity, which are the legitimate rights of tea estate labourers, have come to our notice. Let us make it clear that our party and trade union will take up these issues and explore every possible option to ensure that these issues are solved,” Abhishek, the nephew of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The gathering had around 20,000 people, including thousands of women workers. Abhishek went on: “The state labour minister (Moloy Ghatak) is present here. I would request him to see that every tea worker is issued with an identity card by January 31 next year. The labour department will also hold a tripartite meeting to confirm that wages are not deducted during lean months when a worker cannot puck the required amount of leaves during his/her duty hours.”
Among his other announcements for the brew belt were 50 creches — each with a capacity for 50 children — and 20 primary health centres with ambulances.
“The crèches and the health centres will come up by March 31 next year. The women workers will no longer have to carry their children on their back during duties. If required, we will increase the number of crèches. The health centres, too, will provide prompt medical treatment to the workers and their families,” Abhishek said.
Trade unions have said health facilities which the management is supposed to provide to labourers is in shambles in most tea plantations. In his address, Abhishek also elaborated on a plan that Trinamul had drawn up to exert pressure on the saffron camp in north Bengal on tea workers’ issues.
He said the workers were facing problems in getting their Aadhaar cards tagged with their PF accounts and it was the responsibility of the central government to solve the issues. A number of workers are also facing problems in rectifying their Aadhaar details which are not matching with those they have provided to the EPFO (Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation).
“The provident fund authorities should solve all such issues by December this year. Or else, from January 1, we will launch demonstrations in front of PF offices and Aadhaar centres. A number of BJP MPs and MLAs are elected from this region but they have done nothing for the workers. If the issue is not resolved, we will raise blockades in front of the homes of all these legislators. They should pay attention to the labourers’ problems or else, they will not be allowed to get out of their homes. I will join you in the protests,” the Trinamul MP said.
Abhishek also slammed John Barla and Nisith Pramanik, the BJP MPs of Alipurduar and Cooch Behar, respectively, who are also junior central ministers, for alleged corruption.
“These people are building shopping malls and plush houses here and in Delhi. They are least bothered about the interests of their voters, including the tea workers, and are making money and inciting divisive forces to raise the demand of dividing north Bengal,” said Abhishek.
“Let me reiterate that there will be no further division of Bengal,” he added. Reacting to Abhishek’s charge, Barla said: “Those who reside at swanky homes better refrain from making such allegations.”Calls to Pramanik to elicit his response went unanswered.
