Darjeeling, April 4: The management declared suspension of work in Tukvar tea garden near here today, alleging that labourers were not conforming to directives on duty hours and had gheraoed officials.

The estate, 10km from here, is managed by Jay Shree Tea and Industries Limited and employs 1,636 workers. It has tea planted in an area of 436.72 hectares.

The suspension comes in the midst of plucking of first flush leaves which are mostly exported and command the highest price.

In his notice, Rajesh Pareek, the manager of the garden, says: "The workers willfully continues to defy the reasonable orders of the management till date, having joined work by reporting and leaving their place of work on their own choice and not as per the notified timings."

He further states: "Even the directives of the central committee of the operating trade union also are being overruled so much, so that no management of consequence can run the estate in an appropriate manner."

By "the operating trade union", Pareek was referring to the Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union, affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Sandeep Mukherjee, principal advisor, Darjeeling Tea Association, said workers were not putting in eight hours of work daily. He said they had not reported for work on March 28 and 29 and the next day, gheraoed the management.

The workers accuse the management of distorting the issue.

"The issue is not about eight hours. Recently, the management had said we should pluck tea leaves till 11.45am and then go for weighing of the leaves. Earlier, it was till 11.15am. Because of the new timing, we hardly get time for lunch," said a labourer.

Prashant Pradhan, the spokesman for the Morcha union, said the management had left on Saturday without showing interest in solving the issue.

ABGL

The ABGL said on Monday that it would support Trinamul in Darjeeling and Kurseong in the Assembly elections.