The state labour department issued an advisory to the tea gardens of Darjeeling hills on Monday night, asking them to pay bonus at the rate of 19 per cent, an unprecedented move in recent years.

Kallol Banerjee, the additional labour commissioner of the north Bengal zone based in Siliguri, issued the advisory after trade union leaders and representatives of tea planters failed to reach a consensus on the bonus.

The Darjeeling hills have 87 tea gardens, of which eight are closed.

On Monday, the tripartite meeting called at Banerjee’s office to fix the rate of bonus didn't yield results even after prolonged talks. The unions didn’t budge from their demand of 19 per cent while those representing the planters expressed financial inability to pay beyond 12 per cent.

Finally, the labour official issued the advisory of 19 per cent.

“It is, however, not binding as it has been said that financially stressed gardens can settle the bonus with trade unions locally. From today, talks have started in many hill tea gardens. We believe that matters will be amicably settled,” said Sandeep Mukherjee, the principal adviser of Darjeeling Tea Association.

Sources said that around 45 hill gardens can't afford to pay 19 per cent bonus right now.

Many are fearing bonus face-offs like in the Dooars gardens. “In the Dooars, a number of gardens shut down as workers insisted on a higher rate of bonus which tea companies couldn’t pay. Hill workers and union leaders should understand the financial compulsions of the industry,” said a hill planter.

In the past couple of weeks, stand-offs between tea companies and trade unions over bonus have been witnessed on a scale unheard-of in the past 10-15 years.

“It clearly indicates the crisis in the industry. There are certain issues which need the intervention of the state and central governments, or else the situation would only worsen in the coming days,” said M.P. Bansal, the chairman of the Terai Indian Planters’ Association.