Around 850 people turned jobless on Wednesday when the world observed International Labour Day as the management of the Totapara tea estate in Jalpaiguri district announced the suspension of work, citing lawlessness in the garden.

The tea estate is located in Banarhat block and has around 855 workers.

Sources said the management had not been paying provident funds and gratuity for the past few months, much to the disgruntlement of the workforce.

“In the past few weeks, the management didn’t even pay the wages. We are yet to receive wages of three fortnights,” said worker Ravi Baraik.

A section of the labourers went to Banarhat police station on April 27 and held a demonstration, seeking the intervention of the law enforcers and the administration.

After their demonstration, a tripartite meeting was called in the BDO’s office
in Banarhat but none from the management’s side turned up.

“The management informed the administration that it would clear a fortnight’s wages on Tuesday. Accordingly, the wages were disbursed yesterday (on Tuesday) but later at night, a notice announcing the suspension of work from today (Wednesday) was issued,” said another worker Durga Oraon.

The workers saw the notice when they reached the factory on Wednesday morning to join their duties.

“The management was not paying the workers and when they demanded wages, the garden was closed down on the pretext of lawlessness. The administration should intervene immediately,” said Tabarak Ali, a vice-president of the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union.

Jairaj Biswakarma, the Banarhat block president of the BJP-backed Bharatiya Tea Workers Union, said the management should have held talks with trade unions.

“Instead, they (management) decided to close down the garden at the beginning of the tea season because of financial constraints and put the blame on workers. We condemn such moves,” he said.

Those associated with the Dooars tea industry said the garden had closed down several times in the past over financial issues.

Amitangshu Chakraborty, the principal advisor of the Indian Tea Planters’ Association of which Totapara is a member, said the organisation had received a copy of the suspension notice.

Officials of the state labour department said they hadn’t received any official information about the suspension of work from the company that owns the Totapara garden.

“Even then, we are gathering information from various sources. If the garden has closed down, we will take appropriate steps so that it reopens at the earliest,” said Subhgata Gupta, the deputy labour commissioner of Jalpaiguri.