The management of Tirrihannah tea estate located in the Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling district abstained from a tripartite meeting convened by the state labour department here on Friday to facilitate the reopening of the garden.

Representatives of the operating trade unions were present at the talks and assured all cooperation from their end.

The garden has been closed since November last year. On January 2, Ghanashyam Kankani, the owner, alleged that it was because of the highhandedness of some INTTUC leaders that the management was forced to close down the garden. The INTTUC is the trade union of the Trinamul Congress. The INTTUC leaders even prevented the dispatch of tea from the garden, Kankani said. His claim was backed by representatives of the North Bengal Industries Association, a prominent trade body of the region.

“The management didn’t attend the meeting. However, the trade union leaders were present and demanded that the garden reopen immediately and the management clear the workers’ dues. We couldn’t reach any decision as there was no tripartite discussion,” said an official of the labour department.

There are 1,200 workers in the garden and they have been jobless for around two months. Sources in the labour department said they had obtained data from the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

EPFO officials have said the PF dues of the garden stood around Rs 2.95 crore. “The garden has made an application for payment of dues in installments but the trade unions want the EPFO to initiate legal action against the management. The trade union leaders have also informed us that they have sent a letter to the management that it can resume the dispatch of teas from the garden and no one will stop it,” the official said.

On January 2, the owner said because of the INTTUC leaders, they could not dispatch around 80,000kg of tea from the garden and had to bear a loss of Rs 2.5 crore.

Nirjal Dey, the Darjeeling (plains) district INTTUC president, said the management’s absence indicated a lack of insincerity in reopening the garden.