Four more tea estates — three in Alipurduar and one in Jalpaiguri — closed down on Monday following disagreements among the management and the workers over the rate of bonuses.

With these closures, the number of gardens that have shut down in the past five days in the Dooars belt is now eight. Two of the earlier six closed gardens reopened on Sunday.

The closures have left nearly 8,500 workers jobless ahead of Durga Puja.

The Alipurdiar gardens that shut on Monday are Jaibirpara and Dalmore in Madarihat-Birpara block, Dalshingpara in Kalchini block.

While the management in Dalsingpara and Jaibirpara estates issued notices announcing the suspension of work, that in Dalmore abandoned the garden without any notice, said sources.

In Jaibirpara, the management in its notice said that on Saturday afternoon, a section of workers entered the factory, intimidated and forced employees engaged in tea processing to leave the premises.

“They even ransacked the sorting room and stopped the manufacturing process while demanding a bonus at 16 per cent rate, although it was decided at a bipartite meeting that they would get a bonus at the rate of 11 per cent,” said a source.

The management announced suspension of work in the garden, leaving around 900 workers jobless.

In Dalmore, which employs around 600 workers, a similar situation cropped up as the workers demanded a bonus at a rate of 14 per cent rate while the management claimed that 9 per cent had been agreed upon earlier.

“The workers didn’t join their work during the past three days and resorted to protests. This led to losses. The management then left,” a source said.

In Dalsingpara, with 800 workers, the management declared a bonus of 8.33 per cent but the workers thought it was too low and did not work for the past three days. On Sunday night, the management served the notice and all managerial employees left the garden.

These back-to-back closures have made senior trade union leaders approach the state labour department.

“We have requested officials of the department to take immediate steps so that the gardens reopen and workers get bonuses ahead of Durga Puja. This is a bad trend that should end,” said Nakul Sonar, chairman of Trinamul Cha Sramik Union.

In Jalpaiguri's Nagrakata block, the management of Carron tea estate, with 615 workers, abandoned the garden on Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, from 10am to 4pm, workers demonstrated at the garden, demanding more bonus.

"The management wants to pay us 10 per cent bonus but we will not accept anything below 19 per cent,” said Sumi Oraon, a woman worker.

Amitangshu Chakraborty, the principal adviser of the Indian Tea Planters’ Association — Carron is a member garden of this association — said during bipartite talks the bonus rate was finalised in keeping with the garden's financial state.

“It is unfortunate that workers in Carron are not abiding by the agreement and demanding more bonus,” said Chakraborty, adding that it would "complicate" the situation.

Meetings

In Siliguri, the state labour department convened a tripartite meeting on Monday to resolve the bonus issue for 87 gardens in Darjeeling hills. The rate of bonus has not yet been finalised for hill workers. Earlier, planters proposed a 9 per cent bonus but trade unions rejected it. “The meeting is still on. No decision has been reached,” a trade union leader said on Monday evening when this report was filed.

In Jalpaiguri, two tripartite meetings were convened by the state labour department to facilitate the reopening of two closed gardens, Sylee and Chamurchi, in Jalpaiguri district. At the first meeting, it was decided that the Sylee tea estate will reopen on Tuesday. The meeting to resolve the impasse in Chamurchi is still in progress.