The Hindu : National : Bandh affects life in north Bengal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 20, 2005

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National

Bandh affects life in north Bengal

Marcus Dam

Three lakh tea garden workers on strike

KOLKATA: Normal life was affected in four tea-producing districts of West Bengal on Tuesday following a 12-hour bandh called by unions representing tea garden workers.

More than three lakh workers and employees have been on strike since July 11 in support of their demand for wage revision.

Vehicles were off the roads and most commercial and educational establishments remained closed.

The ruling Left Front supported the bandh call given by the Co-ordination Committee for Plantation Workers, the Defence Committee for Plantation Rights and the Himalayan Plantation Workers, which is affiliated to the Gorkha National Liberation Front and has a strong base in the hills of Darjeeling district.

Sikkim was cut off from the rest of the country owing to the bandh.

Despite Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's intervention, talks between the State Government, the unions and the tea managements over the past few days have failed to resolve the deadlock. State officials are scheduled to hold another round of talks on Wednesday.

Labour Minister Mohd. Amin told the Assembly that the State Government had requested the tea managements to be more accommodating towards the workers' demands.

The offer made to representatives of tea unions at a tripartite meeting, convened by him last week, was turned down as unacceptable.

The State Government, however, would continue to hold talks at various levels in an attempt to break the deadlock.

While the unions want the State Government to issue a notification guaranteeing minimum wages for tea workers, the managements are insisting on productivity-linked wages.

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