Three tea gardens, all run by separate firms, were closed down in the Dooars on Friday, leaving over 2,000 workers’ futures uncertain ahead of the festive season.
The Chamurchi, Redbank and Surendranagar estates are located in Jalpaiguri
district.
The management suddenly closed the gardens down without giving prior notice.
Workers from Redbank and Surendranagar burst into anger and blocked NH17 for one hour. The workers from Chamurchi organised a march on the India-Bhutan border road.
According to local sources, the workers from the three plantations are yet to receive their wages for several days. Despite that, the work was going on normally
till Thursday.
“Despite maintaining normalcy in the gardens, the management had informed the labour department in advance that they would not be able to pay the 20 per cent Puja bonus that was advised by the state government,” a source said.
“The garden was closed down without any notice. The wages were already due,” Gopal Sharma, a worker of Chamurchi, said.
Local officials have reached the sites of the road blockades in the afternoon and assured the workers that the labour department had been informed. Around 12 noon, the protests were withdrawn.
“The management and trade unions of Chamurchi tea gardens have been called for two separate meetings on September 13 and 16. The two gardens of Red Bank and Surendranagar have been called for the meeting on September 18,” Shubhagat Gupta, the district deputy labour officer, said.