The management of a tea estate in Alipurduar district has announced a one-week paid leave, during which production will be halted because of adverse climatic conditions, coupled with a heavy pest attack on tea bushes.

The week-long leave, the management said, will be adjusted against workers’ annual paid leave.

McLeod Russel India Limited, which owns the Central Dooars tea estate in Kalchini block, issued a notice, saying it had been decided that plucking of tea leaves and the production process would be stopped for a week because of a shortage of leaves.

“While the field operations have been suspended from June 24 to 30, work at the factory has been halted from June 25 to July 1,” said a source.

Representatives of the management held talks with local trade union leaders on the situation.

“Based on the discussion, it was decided that operations would be suspended for a week, with the anticipation that the situation would improve next month. The unions agreed to the proposal as the workers would get their wages for this period,” said a trade union leader.

Each tea garden worker is given paid annual leave of 14 days, and most of them will avail themselves of it during the winter when tea leaves are not plucked.

“In this case, seven days’ paid leave will be deducted from their annual leave,” the leader added.

The Central Dooars garden has 1,924 workers.

Veterans in the north Bengal tea industry said it was quite unusual for the management to halt production for a week during the peak season and offer paid leave to the workers.

“This indicates the impact of climate change on the Dooars tea belt. It is evident that the management had no other option but to stop production as tealeaves are hardly available on the plantation,” said Ram Avtar Sharma, secretary of the Dooars Branch of Indian Tea Planters’ Association (ITPA).

Nakul Sonar, chairman of the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union, said: “This year, the Tea Board has banned the use of some pesticides in the tea industry. Most of the pesticides that are allowed do not prevent or curb pest attacks. In some other tea gardens also, workers are being provided with jobs three or four days a week because of the paucity of tea leaves,” said Sonar.

Estate to reopen

The Jaybirpara tea estate in Alipurduar district will reopen on Friday. The decision was taken at a meeting attended by trade union leaders and management representatives in the office of the Dooars branch of the ITPA in Birpara on Thursday.

The management had suspended work in the garden on Sunday, alleging lawlessness and theft.