A two-year agreement on hike in the salaries of staff and sub-staff employed in the tea estates of north Bengal was signed at a tripartite meeting held by the state labour department in presence of state labour minister Becharam Manna here on Tuesday.

“The agreement was signed in presence of representatives of tea associations and 34 tea trade unions. Under the agreement, the monthly salary of a staff will increase by Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,500 (depending on their scale of pay) and that of a sub-staff by Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500,” Manna said.

Around 10,000 staff and sub-staff serve in the brew belt of this region.