Siliguri, Jan. 2: Around 100 Citu-affiliated tea garden staff switched loyalties today and joined the newly-formed National Union of Plantation Employees, a unit of Indian National Trade Union Congress (Intuc).

The new union aims to fight for the rights of clerical and non-clerical employees of tea estates across the Terai region and North Dinajpur.

Addressing reporters here today, Intuc?s Darjeeling district president Alok Chakraborty said: ?The new forum had become a necessity after the Tea Employees? Association of West Bengal (the Citu-affiliated union) failed to protect the rights of tea garden staff falling under grades 1,2 and 3.?

He added that the Citu members decided to join the new union to fight for their rights. ?It is unfortunate that the Citu leadership chose to ignore the appeals of this section of tea garden employees for the past decade. It is a pity that their condition is no better than that of garden labourers.?

A 15-member executive committee of the new union took oath of office today. Seven organising secretaries were also selected.

The newly-formed unit selected Darjeeling Congress MP Dawa Narbula as its president and Chakrabarty as general secretary. A section of the former Citu members, too, were assigned portfolios.

?The need of the hour is to adopt a clear-cut resolution and launch a struggle to reclaim the lost rights of this category of tea garden employees. The management should understand that the three grades of staffers are indispensable for the running of any tea garden,? Chakraborty said.

Office clerks and factory clerks fall under Grade 1. Grades 2 and 3 comprise office staff of all other sections.