Five Government-run tea-estates on Sale in West Bengal !
A report from Rungmook-Cedars tea garden by Laali Guraas team.
The blueprint was being prepared perhaps since a long
ago…
In the year 2007, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayeman of Dubai,
and chairman of DP World Group, took a helicopter ride for an aerial view of
some tea estates in Darjeeling. His company then had chosen the Queen of Hills
for its first project in the hospitality industry in north Bengal — a
“seven-star hotel”.
After landing at the Bagdogra airport, in a chartered flight, a five-member team of DP World Group took off for a view of the Pandam tea estate in Darjeeling, Ragerung estate in Ghoom and Rungmook-Cedars estate in Sonada, on a Sikkim government helicopter.
Seven years later, on this ‘Republic Day’, we, a team
from ‘Laali Guraas’ magazine, had a long walk down the
hills from Sonada to the same Rungmook-Cedars tea garden, which is one among the
five Government-run Tea Estates which are set to be privatised or rendered to
PPP (Public-Private Partnership) Model as announced by Amit Mitra. The first
privatisation move comes within a fortnight of Amit Mitra taking over the
additional charge of the state commerce and industry department. A total of
about 3000 workers in these five tea gardens are to be affected by this new
decision of privatising. The tea-gardens are Rungmook-Cedars (719 ha), Rangaroon
(120 ha) and Pandam (382 ha) tea gardens in Darjeeling hills and Hilla (709 ha)
and Mahua (683 ha) tea gardens under Dooars of Jalpaiguri district.
The West Bengal Tea Development Corporation — set up
in 1976 to purchase ailing privately-owned tea estates — took over four gardens
in Darjeeling and Dooars between July 1977 and April 1981. Mahua was developed
later by the state.
Presently, Rungmook-Cedars has 1,931 workers and staff personnel, Pandam has about 268, while Rangeyrung has 199 workers in their payroll. The colour of the government changed, but the blueprint to sell the public enterprises remained same and thus is the negligence with the fate of the workers.
Our visit was to understand the situation and interact with the workers and the people over there to know their views regarding the shift of management and ownership to a private one.
Rungmook Tea Estate, situated on the beautifully
crafted landscape is one and a half hour walk from Sonada. Estate's factory is
merged with another Government-run Tea Estate 'Cedars', which is also on the
list of getting privatised. These two Tea Estates together employs 1931 odd
permanent workers, out of which 350 posts are not replaced after retirement.
This is the main problem accompanied by suspension of gratuity of the staffs
since past 28 months and since 11 months for the workers. The accumulated
arrears and salary of the sub-staff, senior staff members and workers total Rs
2.15 crore, and disbursement of the amount has been pending since May 2011. It
was learned that the firewood fund of
the year 2014 has also been suspended. There are no differences of wage as
compared with the private Tea Estates. The distributions of rations are timely
distributed with exceptions in some phases, and other services like provident
fund receipt etc. were also timely maintained.
Looking into the historical background of the Tea
Estate, it was under a German owner even after Independence till 1981, but when
the owner failed to pay taxes to the govt., and wages to the workers, the then
owner Jeffery Jonston, a German born and brought up in Darjeeling was murdered
suspiciously. After that the then Govt. undertook the Tea Estate.
There are same old excuses on behalf of the sellers’
side. The Government is talking about huge losses, the management stating that
there are excess workers as according to the per hectare number of workers.
This is being the reason cited for suspension of the workers. The govt. Is
stating that workers of these gardens will have the option of taking up state
government jobs in other departments or opt for a voluntary retirement
solution. We witnessed the same blueprint while the Left-front regime too.
Hundreds of govt-run enterprises were winded up or the workforce downsized
through VRS schemes, funded by DFID.
The story remains the same. Spread the hoax of ill-functioning of govt firms, then either fire the workers, talk of austerity, and then invite private players to have a great treat! Like the Sultan in 2007, this time leading tea companies like BK Birla-promoted Jay Shree Tea, Ambootia Group, Bagaria Group and the Andrew Yule have shown interest in becoming strategic investors in five tea estates.
Talking to some workers and senior technicians, we
were told that the majority trade union in the garden, affiliated to GJM, are
opposing the privatisation, or rather we had an impression that the workers at
least wants that the move of privatisation should be opposed. However, views
opposite to this were also heard, among the workers. There were views that the
carelessness of the government-run management as seen in other government
departments is the main cause behind the deficit. And a strict management was
the need of the hour to combat the current situation of the Estate, and this
argument, in some way or the other gave an acceptance of the policy of
privatisation. They also said that, there are chances of replacement of workers
which is suspended since 2008. They were hardly aware of the other grave and
adverse consequences which are set to unfold immediately after making the
Estate a private enterprise. The enterprise which runs on profit- motive is
ready to squeeze every drop of profit with no less ruthlessness seen till now.
The other trade union, affiliated to CPRM, is a weaker
one now, and appeared to be silent and a bit indifferent to the situation and
it seemed that they are awaiting the role of the majority union.
Local Leaders of the majority trade union however said
that everything will be done by the head-office and there was nothing to do in
their part. It was surprising to hear so. This is severely alienating the
workers from the issue related to their own livelihood. Neither a poster nor
any form of protest was seen in the area; rather it seemed that the tea-estate
was set free for the predators to hunt!
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