Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Agitation at plantation ends

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 108-day agitation by a section of workers at Mahavir Plantations at Bonacaud in Nedumangad taluk was called off on Saturday following a settlement reached at a conciliatory meeting convened by the Labour Commissioner last week.

At the settlement talks, it was decided that the plantation would resume operations by the first week of December. Union representatives who participated in the meeting said they had stopped work after the management failed to honour an agreement signed in April.

The management representatives, on the other hand, maintained that the delay in clearing the dues was caused by losses accumulated by the estate. They alleged that the labourers had unilaterally decided to stop work and launch the agitation without notice.

The issue was finally settled after the management agreed to disburse the gratuity of 10 workers who left the estate and clear the wage arrears and advance payment due to 27 labourers. The meeting decided to reopen the estate office soon. Representatives of the employees’ unions agreed to return to work by December 6.

State secretary of the Janata Estate Workers Union Charupara Ravi announced the decision to call off the stir at a meeting held in front of the Secretariat on Saturday. Hind Mazdoor Sangh district president S. Manoharan presided over the function.

Spread over 400 hectares of land, the plantations, including mostly tea and rubber estates, has 431 permanent workers and 150 casual labourers. Other cash crops such as coconut, teak, cardamom and coffee are also cultivated.

The employees have been on the warpath since 2000 demanding settlement of salary arrears.

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