On Monday, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista expressed his concerns concerning the ongoing relay hunger strike being undertaken by the Longview tea garden workers.
He stated that he was deeply saddened by the management for opting to close the garden instead of engaging with the workers and finding a resolution to their problems.
With this, the MP stated that he was aghast by the role of the state government, Department of Labour in this whole scenario. He accused the stated of failing to implement agreements between tea garden owners and tea garden workers.
It is to recall, in 2019, the West Bengal government agreed to a part-payment of the annual bonus, however some tea gardens in Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars have retracted on paying the second instalment of the bonus.
“The Govt of WB has not taken any step to ensure payment of this bonus till date. Similarly, a few tea gardens have failed to deposit their share of Provident Fund contributions, which has left the workers, especially in old age deprived of their savings and means of sustenance. It is both appalling and infuriating to note how through all of this, the Dept. of Labour, Govt of WB has conveniently remained uninvolved to protect the rights of the workers,” Bista wrote on social media.
The MP maintained that he has brought the Longview tea garden crisis, non-depositing of PF contributions by some tea companies and other related issues to the attention of Santosh Gangwar, Minister of Labour and Employment and Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce. He added that he has sought their immediate intervention to help resolve the problems.
He further added that he has also requested the Tea Board of India to investigate the reasons for the non-deposit of PF contributions by the companies and to ensure immediate deposit of the same.
“I request the West Bengal Govt, Darjeeling Planters’ Association and all Workers Unions to facilitate talks at the earliest to resolve the Longview garden issue,” Bista added.