Workers have been skipping duties in a tea garden in Alipurduar district since March 10, demanding payment of wage dues.
The Bundapani plantation in the Birpara-Madarihat block has 670 workers.
According to them, wages of four fortnights are due and they will not join the work until and unless the outstanding amounts are cleared.
The senior assistant manager — the top official of the garden — left the estate on Wednesday, which added to the crisis.
“We are concerned over the situation in Bundapani. We have spoken to the state labour minister and urged him to intervene so that the wages are paid and the stalemate ends in the garden,” said Nakul Sonar, the chairman of the Trinamul Cha Bagan Sramik Union.
Sources in the Merico Agro Industries Private Limited that runs the garden claimed they cleared a fortnight’s wages on Saturday.
The company, which runs some other tea estates in the Dooars, has been clearing due wages in all the gardens since last week, said the sources.
“But even after paying a fortnight’s wages in Bundapani, the workers are reluctant to join their duties. We thought they would start working from Monday but till yesterday, none of them turned up. They should give some breathing space to the company,” said a source.
In such a situation, Subir Das, the senior assistant manager, left the garden on Wednesday.
“After a lean season of around four months, the new season has just commenced. We need to perk up the production so that we can sell the tea and make earnings to pay the workers,” he said.
“But the workers are nonchalant. That is why I have moved out of the garden on leave and when the labourers rejoin their work, I will immediately reach the garden,”
Das added.
A section of the management suspects non-workers in the garden are provoking the labourers to skip their duties.
“The season has just commenced and new leaves have sprouted. Non-workers want the garden to close down so that they can pluck and sell the tea leaves to make some quick money,” said a source.