Around 2,000 workers associated with private enterprise units at the Raninagar Industrial Growth Centre of the West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBIIDC) at Raninagar on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri have been working without job agreements for over six months.
The reason: the presence of two Trinamool-backed workers’ unions at the industrial estate has led to confusion among recruiting agencies on whom to ink agreements with — detailing terms and conditions — before hiring workers for the industrial units.
“Altogether, there are 49 industrial units in Raninagar, which include companies like Coca-Cola and Indian Oil. There are 17 private agencies which employ these workers at the industrial units. The agencies provide wages and other benefits to the workers,” said a senior TMC leader of Jalpaiguri.
He said that every two or three years, the workers’ union, which is affiliated to the INTTUC, the TMC workers’ front, inks agreements with each of these agencies, depending on the rules of the industrial unit where workers would be hired.
“However, during the past six months or so, a parallel workers’ union, which also claims to be backed by our party, has come up at the industrial growth centre. As a result, the agencies are not ready to sign any agreement and have categorically said they will sign agreements only with one union. This has led to a stalemate. Workers are working without any new agreement,” he added.
Sources in the TMC said Tapan Dey, the district INTTUC president of Jalpaiguri, was recognised by the party and state INTTUC to form the Trinamool Industrial Estate Workers’ Union at Raninagar and take up all worker-related issues, including signing agreements with their recruiting agencies.
However, Swapan Sarkar, who also claims to be a TMC leader and an associate of Krishna Das, the Jalpaiguri district TMC SC & ST cell president, has formed a workers’ union with the same name.
“Swapan Sarkar claims he has been leading workers for years. This led to differences between the unions. Things have come to such a pass that earlier this month, Dey filed a police complaint against Sarkar,” said a TMC leader.
In reply, Sarkar filed a counter-complaint with Kotwali police against Dey, a source said.
Representatives of agencies are caught in a bind.
“Leaders of both unions claim they enjoy the support of the majority of workers. We don’t want to get into it and will sign agreements only with one union. In this situation, we cannot sign an agreement with any one union as there can be consequences,” said a representative of one of the agencies.
As a result, workers are vulnerable, forced to work without the security of any agreement.
“The agencies can stop providing us jobs at any time, there being no agreement. When a new agreement is signed, wage rates, overtime rates and other benefits are revised. Owing to this situation, our wages have not increased. We don't know when this situation will end,” Manu Roy, a worker who has been serving in the industrial centre for over a decade, said.
Dey and Sarkar, when contacted, traded charges.
“He (Sarkar) is not associated with the party or INTTUC. He is indulging in illegal activities and resorting to highhandedness simply to control workers,” alleged Dey.
Sarkar, on the other hand, said he had been taking up workers’ issues with agencies and companies for years now.
“I have formed the union with the permission of Dola Sen, the central INTTUC president. Tapan Dey is a self-proclaimed leader and has no connection with industrial workers in Raninagar,” he said.
District TMC leaders, when contacted, endorsed Dey. They, however, declined to comment when asked why the party was not intervening or taking steps against Sarkar.
“Tapan Dey, who heads the INTTUC in our district, is also the president of the workers’ union in Raninagar. Our party does not recognise any other leader there,” said Mahua Gope, the district TMC chief.