The suspension of work at Bharnobari tea garden in Kalchini block of Alipurduar district has raised questions over alleged tactics adopted by garden managements to shut estates on one pretext or the other during the non-production winter months, leaving thousands of labourers without livelihood.
The management of Bharnobari Tea Estate issued a notice of suspension of work on Tuesday night, rendering around 2,200 workers jobless. The garden is located about 40km from Alipurduar town.
In the notice, the management cited “indiscipline” by workers as the reason for the closure. However, workers and trade union leaders alleged that the move was linked to the onset of winter, when the plucking of tea leaves declines and expenses rise.
According to the management, several workers gathered at the garden’s main office on Tuesday morning and gheraoed the manager for nearly eight hours, from 8am to 4pm. The situation allegedly turned “unprecedented”, with management staff confined to the office, making it impossible to carry out normal operations and affecting production.
The management said during the standoff, workers insisted on half-day work during the non-plucking season for a full day wage, a proposal the management did not accept.
Police reached the spot and brought the situation under control. Subsequently, workers and local trade union representatives submitted a written charter of demands related to wage payments, working hours and other issues, and a section of workers allegedly forced the manager to sign the document.
“Under such threat and intimidation, and finding no other alternative, the management was compelled to suspend work,” the notice said.
However, a section of workers denied the management’s claims, alleging that they had merely placed their demands and that no situation had arisen warranting the closure of the garden.
“This is nothing but a tactic to shut the garden during the winter season to save costs,” a worker said.
Nakul Sonar, chairman of the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union, said the closure was unfortunate.
Sonar said: “If any problem had arisen in the garden, the management should have informed us so that we could intervene, instead of shutting down the estate. This has been done to save expenses during winter. Had a similar situation occurred during the peak season, the garden would not have been closed,” he said.
Rejecting the allegation, Chinmoy Dhar, former chairman of the Tea Association of India (TAI), Dooars, said most tea gardens in the district continued to operate during winter.
“The allegation is baseless. Whenever discipline is enforced, a section of workers becomes aggressive. Trade unions must play a constructive role between management and workers. A tea garden manager should not be manhandled under any circumstances,” he said.
Deputy labour commissioner, Alipurduar, Gopal Biswas, will chair a tripartite meeting at Dooars Kanya here on Thursday to resolve the issue at Bharnobari.