The Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU) and the Bharatiya Tea Workers’ Union (BTWU, a BJP-backed trade union) jointly organised a rally in Alipurduar's Kalchini on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum to the administration, demanding the Dalshingpara tea estate be reopened or monthly monetary aid to its jobless workers be resuled under the Financial Assistance to Workers of Locked Out Industries (FAWLOI) scheme.

This is one of the rare times that tea worker unions of two rival political parties have joined hands for the cause of workers.

Under the FAWLOI scheme, the state labour department pays ₹1,500 to workers of closed tea estates. However, in this case the assitance was stopped in February this year and no reason given, said tea workers.

On Tuesday morning, workers joined the rally at Dalshingpara under the Jaigaon police station. The garden closed down on October 12, 2023, leaving 961 workers jobless.

After the closure, the state introduced FAWLOI in the garden. However, since February this year, the state labour department halted the payment without giving any reason.

As a result, workers facing financial hardship, having no source of income. After the rally, a delegation of trade union leaders and workers reached the district magistrate’s office and submitted a memorandum.

“For the sake of workers, these trade unions have come together. We organised a joint rally and submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate. If the problem is not resolved within seven days, we will resort to a road blockade,” said Shahjahan Rehman, secretary of TCBSU in the garden.

He said the situation in Dalsinghpara was deteriorating day by day.

“There is no electricity, and the management has not provided any drinking water facility. The workers and their family have to fetch water from distant sources. In such a situation, a halt in the monthly aid has further worsened the situation,” the trade union leader added.

Jay Bahadur Rai, a BTWU leader in the garden, questioned the decision to stop the assistance to workers when the garden has been closed for months.

“The garden is shut, but the workers have not received the FAWLOI payments for the last nine months. This is unfortunate, and the administration should act,” said Rai.

Officials of the state labour department posted in the district said they have informed the issue to their senior officials. “We are waiting for necessary instructions. Once we get the order, the funds will be released immediately for workers of this garden,” said Gopal Biswas, Alipurduar deputy labour commissioner.