Jalpaiguri, Nov. 12 -- Demanding a 20 per cent Puja bonus, two months' pending wages and other dues, workers of Subarnapur Tea Garden blocked the state highway at Chatra Bridge under Raja Danga Gram Panchayat in Kranti Block on Wednesday morning. The protest, which began around 10 am, brought traffic to a standstill and caused a massive jam in the area. Police from Kranti outpost soon arrived and tried to pacify the protesters.
The tea garden has remained closed since September 22 following a dispute between workers and management over Puja bonuses. Despite several tripartite meetings being called, the owners repeatedly failed to attend, delaying efforts to reopen the garden. On Wednesday, they demanded the reopening of the garden, payment of 64 days' pending wages and clearance of other dues. Kranti Block BDO Rimil Soren reached the site and assured the workers that their concerns would be addressed. Following the assurance, the blockade was lifted after nearly two hours.
"We haven't received wages for 64 days, and no Puja bonus has been paid," said worker Marjina Khatun.Another worker, Jaynur Mohammad, added: "The BDO informed us that a tripartite meeting will be held on November 18 at the District Labour Commissioner's office. We lifted the blockade based on that assurance, but if no solution comes, we'll resume our agitation."
BDO Soren said: "This garden has been facing problems for a long time. A meeting has been called on November 18, and we hope the matter will be resolved."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.