The management of Sylee Tea Estate in Jalpaiguri district declared suspension of work on Sunday, leaving more than 1,000 workers jobless.

The tea garden is located about 60km from Jalpaiguri.

Six other gardens, namely Raipur, Bamandanga Tundu, Samsing, Red Bank, Dharanipur and Surendranagar are currently closed in the district.

On Monday morning, the workers found that the management had put up a suspension of work notice at the garden gate.

The management claimed that they had decided to pay two fortnight's wages, which were due for January, on February 5 and 7.

“In its suspension of work notice, the management has stated that despite announcing the payment dates, the workers observed a strike on February 2 and demonstrated against the management the next day,” said a worker. “They voiced these concerns to declare the work suspension.”

Ashok Chikbaraik, a Trinamul-backed trade union of the tea garden, slammed the decision taken by the management.

“The management promised to pay wages on February 5 but instead of making the payments left the garden and abandoned workers. They cheated the workers,” the Trinamul leader said.

The management of Sylee belongs to Indian Tea Planters Association (ITPA).

“The management has promised to clear the payment of workers’ wages but continuous protest movements by labourers forced them to leave the garden,’’ Ram Awatar Sharma, the secretary of the ITPA’s Dooars branch, said on Monday.

Pranab Das, the assistant labour commissioner of Jalpaiguri, held a meeting with representatives of the trade union of Sylee.

A source in the state government labour department said that a tripartite meeting between officials, the tea management and worker unions would be held soon.