Tea garden workers across north Bengal held demonstrations in their respective plantations on Friday, demanding immediate revision of wages or fixing of minimum pay.

They gathered at the entrance to the estates and held “gate meetings” before joining their duties.

Senior tea trade union leaders said as a tripartite meeting convened by the state labour department in Siliguri on Thursday to discuss the wage revision had not yielded any results, they had decided to hold “gate meetings” in all the tea gardens every day.

The unions wanted the revised wage to be Rs 274 a day. Planters proposed a daily wage of Rs 220, which the unions didn’t accept at the meeting on Thursday. The state’s proposal was Rs 250.

42 Covid cases

Bengal on Friday reported 42 Covid-19 cases, 39 recoveries and no death. Currently, there are 378 active cases in the state: 347 in home isolation and 31 in hospitals, according to a state bulletin.

The state’s positive confirmation rate — samples which tested positive — was 0.41 per cent on Friday, the recovery rate was 98.93 per cent, while the mortality rate was 1.05 per cent.