Writes: Avjit Sinha
The Bengal labour department has fixed minimum wages for workers of bought-leaf factories (BLFs), the first of its kind in the state's tea industry.
The minimum daily wage for a worker of a BLF in zone A has been fixed at Rs 290.23, while the rate is Rs 256.5 in zone B. The daily wage was Rs 143 previously.
The BLFs buy tealeaves from small growers and then manufacture CTC tea. In north Bengal, there are over 130 BLFs which have around 40,000 workers.
A circular issued by the additional labour commissioner of the labour department on January 29 says it issued a notification on December 12 last year, saying the "minimum rates of wages in the employment of Bought Tea Leaf Factory in the state of West Bengal" had been fixed. As per the circular, the minimum monthly wage has been fixed at Rs 7,546 and Rs 6,669 in zones A and B, respectively. The rates are effective from January 1 to June 30, 2017.
"Zone A means areas under civic bodies, development authorities and industrial townships and likewise. All other areas come under Zone B. It has been also mentioned that the daily pay can be calculated by dividing the monthly wage by 26. The weekly wage will be six times the daily pay. There should be an off day a week and a normal working day will have eight-and-a-half hours of work, including 30 minutes' rest," said the owner of a BLF in Siliguri.
This means the daily minimum wage of workers in BLFs under zone A will be Rs 290.23, while its Rs 256.50 in zone B.
"So far, the wages have been fixed through tripartite agreements like in other sectors of the tea industry. The last agreement is valid till March," said the BLF owner.
For the past two-three years, trade unions of tea plantation workers have been demanding minimum wages for the sector. The state labour department formed a 27-member advisory board in February 2015 to recommend the minimum wages. Trade union leaders, representatives of planters' associations and government officials were on the committee which is yet to make any recommendation.
"None of the BLF owners were included in the board. It is disappointing that the government has unilaterally decided to fix minimum wage for workers in the BLFs. We protest the decision and want to clarify that we cannot pay wages at such higher rates," said Satish Mitruka, the president of the North Bengal Tea Producers' Welfare Association that represents the BLFs.
Mani Kumar Darnal, the joint general secretary of the Intuc-backed National Union of Plantation Workers, said: "It seems the state has finally made a move to fix minimum wages for workers in the tea industry. But there should have been talks at the tripartite level before finalising the minimum wages for BLFs."
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We are hopeful that the Bengal government will enact similar minimum wages structure for the rest of Tea Garden workers as well.
-DAWN
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