Workers of a tea estate in the Malbazar block of Jalpaiguri district abstained from their duties for two hours on Wednesday and held a demonstration under the banner of the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU) demanding immediate payment of their dues.

The Kumlai garden has around 780 workers.

According to the labourers, the management has not deposited the provident fund of around ₹1.8 crore and has not paid the gratuity of around ₹3 crore.

Instead of joining their duties around 7am on Wednesday, the workers assembled at the entrance to the plantation, carrying a Trinamool Congress flag. They raised slogans till 9am, demanding that the management clear their dues soon.

“The management is not paying our dues but insisting that we continue to join our duties. We are in crisis and so protested today. We spoke to management representatives who assured us that the issue would be resolved soon. If it is not done, we will intensify our movement,” said Indrajit Das, the convener of TCBSU in the garden.

After the demonstration, some workers met the manager. The manager, sources said, reportedly told them that made tea was lying at the factory for sale.

“We were told that once the teas were dispatched and sold, the problem would be solved. We have demanded that a tripartite meeting be held in the presence of the officials of the state labour department where the management should specifically tell us when the dues will be paid,” said a senior worker.

Told about the demonstration with the party’s flag and that the labourers didn’t work for two hours, Mahua Gope, the Jalpaiguri district TMC president, said: “The workers can demonstrate if they have genuine demands. But we don’t encourage workers to skip duties. We will find out what happened in the garden.”