(The Tea Workers’ Struggle for Bonus in the Darjeeling & Kalimpong Hills, 2024 )
Samik Chakraborty
Darjeeling's Singtam tea estate closed abruptly in September. Peshok Tea Garden was also closed a few days ago. Some garden managers flee as soon as the festival bonus issue approaches every year. It's happening this time too. After the bonus notification, Som, Lingia, Barnsbeg or Kumai tea gardens closed. Similar news is coming from different parts of Dooars too.
The monotonous script and its counter-picture
In this year's peak season
Learning from past experience, the workers this time demanded that 20% bonus should be given in a single installment. To understand why 20%, and why in one single installment, one has to take the eyes off the glittering festival days and look at the daily routine of the tea-workers.
Mirage of the tea makers
The daily wage of these tea workers in the Darjeeling Hills-Terai-Dooars in the north of West Bengal is Rs 250. Yes– Rs 250 per day! And just like Assam, the tea industry in West Bengal is yet to come under the purview of the Minimum Wages Act. In 2014, in the wake of a vigorous united movement across the tea industry, the tripartite agreement of Feb 2015 did accept minimum wage principally, but still, after that, a barren decade passed. The constituted consultative committee kept changing, the Hon’ble High Court has repeatedly ordered for it, yet this Act has not been implemented. And, apart from the question of wages, various fringe benefits – umbrellas, shoes, tarpaulins, firewood, medical, creche, house repairing – are also missing in many gardens. There are no land or house titles. No PF deposits, no gratuity, no retirement instead of continuing work – all in all, a terribly insecure garden life.
Why the demand for a 20% bonus?
So, what option does a worker, who earns around Rs. 6,500 a month, have for fulfillment of tiny dreams, other than to wait for the yearly bonus? Most of the workers in the hills are Nepalis, some are Adivasis, a little Rajbangshis, and a handful of Bengalis or Biharis. At this time of the festival, sooner or later, Karam Puja of the Adivasis, Dasai-Tihar of the Nepalis, and other festivities come– this is the time for joy, entertainment, social milieu, decorating the house, buying clothes and furniture, giving gifts to children and seniors. At such a time, this bonus is the key to fulfilling the desires, stepping ahead of the suffocating daily routine of Rs 250. And only if one gets the whole in one installment, some of the fantasies can be reached, otherwise pleasure too has to be bought in installments.
This year's bonus: The Beginning
It is mentionable that, according to the Bonus Act-1965 of India, 8.33% (which is equal to 1/12 i.e. one month's income) of the year's income is the lowest stipulated bonus rate, and on the other hand, 20% i.e. two and a half months income is the highest. If any owner gives more than that, it is called ex-gratia. The demand of tea workers, who are the lowest paid in organised industries in India, to demand the highest bonus on these special days of the year is pretty justified. If only minimum wage was introduced, then things might have been different.
Production deficits, losses, absenteeism can be discussed later. But it is necessary to say that instead of permanent workers who left the garden owing to low wages, the owners are benefiting by engaging 'bigha' or temporary workers in 'Sukha-Hazira' (paid on a per kg basis, devoid of benefits) contracts. And when the current workers are compensating for the lack of production created due to 'absent' workers, it is easy to imagine what a serious burden their work is. An equal or almost equal amount of green leaves production with fewer workers! – whose advantage? Whose profit? And on whom is the burden of work? Just think!
New Union, New Trend
To stand with the workers' voices in so-called frontline gardens like Margaret's Hope, or to support alternative efforts of the workers' committees of the closed Dhotre-Tungsung, to save the garden, were already our engagements. The HPEU-led movement began at Ringtong Garden near Sonada, during the two-month campaign which started on June 25. Many have perhaps seen the sight of hundreds of tea workers gathered among the hilly tea bushes amidst heavy rain. It calmed down a bit after a bilateral agreement at the office of the owners' association 'TIPA' in Siliguri's Matigara, and soon, the agitation at Longview Tea Estate near Pangkhabari started, with deputations, bilateral meetings at various levels, and casework, demanding payment of dues of Rs 16.9 crore. The tripartite agreement of Longview was signed on September 6, after the failure of the first tripartite on August 28. The payments were scheduled as a primary win for the workers.
Coordination Forum of the Old Unions
At the same time, the ‘Parvatiya Sramik Sangathan Samanway Mancha’ (Hill Workers Organization Coordination Forum) was formed from the joint meeting of the other 8 unions of the hills. The eight unions are-- HTDPLU of Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), led by Anit Thapa, the chairman of GTA (apex body of the Hills), TMCBSU of the ruling Trinamool Congress, DDCKMU of CPI-M, DTDCKMU of CPRM, DTDPLU of Bimal Gurung faction, HPWU of GNLF, BCMS of BJP-RSS, and HHTDCSS of Ajay Edward's Hamro Party.
All the trade unions led by various political parties of the hills, pro- or anti-government, or with positions in-between, most of whom identify their union by party’s identity, have come together. We heard that they all combinedly sought government intervention against the owners' declared intention of an 8.33% bonus offer. Incidentally, the HPEU was not invited to the meeting to form this hill platform, despite being a registered union operative in the hills. The reason is somehow unknown!
Now, the Government called a meeting about the Hill tea workers’ bonus
Meanwhile, the series of bonus meetings for the tea gardens of Terai-Dooars started with an online meeting on September 5, and after two more rounds of four days of meetings at the owner associations' office in Kolkata, a bilateral agreement was reached on September 19– tea workers of Terai-Dooars will get a bonus of 16%.
On the next day, i.e. on Sept. 20, a bonus meeting was called for the hills. But the meeting was called by the government, in the labour department office. It was not clear why the government is calling the second meeting, despite the first being called by the owners, on September 2. This wasn’t the case with Terai-Dooars.
Registered Union HPEU Excluded!
There is no clear answer as to why the government did not call the HPEU, despite their knowledge about the bilateral meetings of Ringtong, Margaret's Hope, Longview Gardens, or the first bonus meeting this year, called by the owners.
I recalled that on May Day this year, when we were holding meetings and marches about the past and present of the Workers’ Movement, the Governmental Labour Department in Darjeeling invited and felicitated these unions. Have you ever heard of the Governmental labour department celebrating May Day by felicitating the labour unions?
When we were not invited to the bonus meeting, we first thought that last year our name was not included as we were a new union then, so every set was erroneously repeated this time as well. When contacted, Mr. Shyamal Dutta, The Additional Labour Commissioner (Siliguri), who is in charge of North Bengal, said, "I am busy with a meeting, I will look into the matter later." The Assistant Labour Commissioner of Kurseong, when contacted over the phone, said, "There may have been a mistake, you can come to the meeting." However, he later denied it.
On the 20th of September, HPEU, with a large number of workers, and with a written request to correct this mistake, mentioned the presence in the earlier meeting called by the owners on the 2nd, and based on the telephonic conversation with the ALC, reached the Shramik Bhawan in Dagaupur, Siliguri, to participate in the tripartite meeting. However, the Additional Labour Commissioner said that he would not allow us to participate in the meeting. We are astonished at their irrationality, rudeness, and disregard for their words. Is there a Syndicate-Raj here too? Doubt arises!
Workers’ voices in and outside the meeting
The owners stuck to an 8.33% bonus rate. The meeting ran long, but nothing progressed. On behalf of the restless workers outside, Sangeeta Chhetri, a struggling worker, and secretary of HPEU’s Longview branch, forcibly crossed the main gate barrier and entered the meeting room as a ‘worker’. She questioned, why the workers could not attend the meeting about workers? After 3/4 hours of fruitless sessions, Sangeeta became impatient and started presenting vocal demands and arguments for a 20% bonus. The owners offered a 9.5% bonus this time, raising the price slightly.
But the workers’ voice is marginalized here…
Unable to cope with Sangeeta Chhetri’s unique workerish logic, the male-dominated house verbally humiliates her, accusing her of creating chaos and a misfit argument. She was then forced to leave the meeting. Outside, workers erupted in protest. By then, hundreds of HPEU workers, as well as other labour unions and political figures, including Ajay Edward of the Hamro Party, and various media representatives had gathered there. They saw the workers’ anger. After stopping the central leadership of HPEU at the meeting, a worker member went and spoke there, but it became clear how the system and the administration look at the workers. Inside the meeting, there was a stalemate then. With the owners stuck at 9.5%, other labour unions, realising that nothing else could be done with the meeting, walked out and the meeting collapsed.
Outside the Shramik Bhawan then...
While some union leaders quickly fled seeing the situation, some others came out and saluted Sangeeta Chhetri’s role and stubbornness in presenting the life pain of the workers. Some might have said it honestly, some might do so as a show-off. But, there was no choice but to say this among the crowd of the excited workers. They said that, if HPEU is not called to the next meeting, they too will not enter the meeting. They also talked about starting a strong movement about bonus. But it turned out that some people from that Samanway Mancha, namely Sunil Rai of the CPRM (in the newspapers), or Suraj Subba, the trade union leader of the Bimal Gurung faction (in media statements), made confusing statements about the women worker, which seemed to be similar with the owners' version.
In the meantime, a letter was sent to the state's Labour Commissioner via email, requesting him to call the HPEU for the next meeting. There came no answer to this email, though. Gate meetings continued in the gardens, on behalf of HPEU and other unions.
Unique protest at next meeting
Like every day, a large number of workers, mostly women, gathered on behalf of HPEU. They formed a huge human chain across the Shramik Bhavan campus – Songs of life - Slogans of demands - Reiteration of the phrase of 20% in the tune of the upcoming Deusure festival reverberated. Ignoring the frown of the sun or rain, the orderly dharna continued till night. At the end of the long meeting, the employers gradually increased the proposal to 12%, while the unions stuck to 20%. The meeting is over. Again gate meetings continued in the gardens from the next morning. In various gardens, HPEU has written to the management informing them that our demand is 20% and since we are not being included in the negotiation process, we are not bound by the decision of the tripartite meeting. For example, Ringtong is a member of the garden owners' organization 'TIPA'. This TIPA was not included in the first governmental meeting but was added later. But we had a bilateral meeting with the officials of TIPA and the agreement about Ringtong was made with us only, but we are not being called to the meeting. It's the same with Longview.
At the meeting on the 27th...
The bonus meeting was called again on the 27th. On that day, something else came up. The Bandana Rai-Pratap Khati-led ‘Chiya Shramik Suraksha Samity’ had brought an order from the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Kolkata High Court that their TU registration should be done expeditiously, correcting the delayed process of union registration, and also that their inclusion in the ongoing bonus process be considered. They also mobilized workers at Shramik Bhavan, but for the meeting, although they were not allowed inside.
Colorful collage of a beautiful struggle
For me, this entire phase of the movement will remain an unforgettable experience. I've seen several movements and participated. But in this movement, the workers... especially the women workers in particular, showed such activism and promptness, which I have rarely seen. When friends from the media come to cover and ask who to talk to, we usually point out some smart workers for bytes. But as the movement progressed, in this situation, I suggested that you can talk to anyone – everyone is astonishingly fluent. In content and style of speech!
At the end of the day, the owners' offer increased from 12% to 13% on the 27th. Think of the workers who are coming for this struggle every day with their own fund collections to rent cars, canters, pickups, and trucks from different corners of the hills! Their unimaginable hardship to bring a smile to the family on festive days is more than the daily hardships of garden life. How will the owners and governmental babus sitting in the comfort of a cold room understand this fire?
Another meeting... The owners stick to 13%
A meeting was called after a day, on Sunday, September 29. Workers rushed again, doubled in number. Beyond the party-feud and mud-slinging of the big parties of the hills, the workers, whether aligned with any Jhanda or not, have tied themselves to a high tone of a 20% bonus. The old unions will fight inside the meeting, and ours, along with others will do so, outside. The meeting, which started late, surpassed evening, but the offer of bonus rate remained the same. The slogans outside turned into a roar, and the chorus became a pathetic cry... But who cares! The owners were stuck at 13%. Union representatives came out in opposition. Although not all unions were equally honest, there was no way to say anything else in front of the gathering outside –the call for a bandh in the hills the next day was raised. We gave our full support, and others too welcomed this.
Unprecedented Bandh Across the Hills
The Blow of Bandh forced a next-day Meeting
The unions protested internally against this hoax. Protest demonstrations continued outside. Representatives of the unions gradually left the premises in the meantime. The owners sat inside for a long time to avoid the wrath of the workers. Police and armed RAF raised a wall between the workers and the Shramik Bhavan. Slogans like 'Patti Tipne Aama Ho / Nafa Khane Malik Ho' (Mother is the leaf-plucker/ Owner is the profit-eater) turned into a sorrowful lump in the throat after a few hours. The heart of the workers, who dream of burning the owner's system in the fire of class-hatred, itself burned with frustration and melancholy. As the Shramik Bhavan compound became increasingly empty and spooky, the workers decided to stage a fierce protest the next day and left with tears. That night, 16% bonus money was deposited in the accounts of many garden workers. A mouth shutting bait.
Turbulent hills on Gandhi Jayanti
The next day, October 2, the mountain was on fire. A huge workers' rally was held in Darjeeling town, without party flags, demanding a 20% bonus. Besides, the workers sat on dharna on various roads. At Mirik, Rohini Gate, Kumai, Takdah.... When the workers came out in trucks from the gardens of Sonada Valley to join such a dharna, they were stopped in Kurseong – where their dharna began. All roads in the hills became paralyzed.
A huge police contingent at Rohini Gate – with rifles, guns, tear gas, and machinised threats on portable soundboxes – “16% bonus has been announced after listening to you. Everyone has accepted. Vacate the road, or you'll be arrested." Is this system so dreadfully deaf? And so insensitive?
The workers were threatened with arrest during the dharna, threatened to file cases for everyone by taking photos, threatened to arrest them in old cases, and citing tourists’ problems, they were forced to withdraw after a few hours of dharna. The police initially said that the Longview workers will be permitted to go to Darjeeling only, for the rally. But after the blockade was withdrawn, that too was denied. It was the Gandhi Jayanti. The workers, showing Gandhigiri, put 'Khada' around the neck of the brazen policeman.
Police files false cases, Workers on the path of truth...
The police registered several cases for blocking the road – 4 for Rohini Gate and 7 for Kurseong. Among them are Longview workers like Sangeeta Chhetri, Laxmi Chhetri, HPEU union leader Sumendra Tamang, Chewang Yonzan, and other youths and associates of various tea gardens. In many other places, there have been road blockades, and rallies blocking roads – but no such case filing has been reported.
Courageous workers continuing the struggle
Did the police think that the workers or the struggling friends would be scared if they filed false cases? Then they were completely wrong. In many gardens, workers stopped work and held gate meetings, and rejected the Maliki decrees. The 8 unions’ Mancha asked to stop the tea despatch – it also continued for a few days. Then they said they were working the remaining 4% of the bonus, and announced a massive program of collecting all workers' signatures, and then, finally, called for the return of normalcy to work. Within a day or two, after that, however, on the Mahasaptami day, it is the Fulpati ritual, and then begins a three-day holiday in the gardens. In many gardens, workers went to work suppressing the anger in their minds, and somewhere refused to go to work. The pain of non-achievement of the bonus is spread throughout the mind of the hilly tea gardens.
Twenty percent bonus is our right
The HPEU took the initiative to create the badge – 'Dasai-Tihar Our Mahan Chaar (Festival) / 20% Bonus is our Adhikaar'. The festival season begins with the Fulpati procession. This time, the tea workers will be vocal in their righteous demands even amidst the festival. The workers will wear these badges starting from the procession of Fulpati up to the Tihar days of Vaileni-Deusi, crossing the Bada Dasai. Meanwhile, the workers' committee paid a bonus of 25% of the annual income of the workers at Tungsung in Dhotre, a closed tea garden. The bonus, according to the Act, is a maximum of 20%, but where is the law in closed gardens? It's been that way, proudly, since 2018.
Relay hunger strike in two gardens
The fight continues – for another beginning
On the other hand, from ‘Justice to Abhaya’ to the ‘rights of tea workers’... This year's festival is really different.
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