TNN Sep 9, 2011, 12.53am IST
DARJEELING: The first meeting between Darjeeling Planters Association and trade unions on Thursday ended with the signing of the bonus agreement for tea gardens in Darjeeling. Observers said the favourable bonus agreement would help Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) win the support of tea garden workers in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) election that is expected to be held in the coming months.
Bonus has been fixed at 20% for all categories of employees, from group A to group D. This was the first time that group D employees would get bonus at 20%, the highest they had got was 17% last year. The GJM-affiliated Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union led the wage negotiations for workers, though unions affiliated to Communist Party Revolutionary Marxist and Congress were also present.
It was agreed that the bonus would be disbursed in a single installment by the gardens before September 24. A few financially weak gardens wanted to disburse bonus in two installments, but GJM did not agree to this. The 87-odd gardens in Darjeeling employ about 55,000 workers.
With the GTA poll planned to be held after the finalization of the report of the high-power committee on inclusion of additional areas in Dooars and Terai to GTA, likely in the beginning of next year, the conclusion of a favourable bonus agreement would help GJM garner support for the party in the poll, observers said.
Tea gardens had been the traditional stronghold of Gorkha National Liberation Front, but GJM had gradually managed to win over the support of tea garden workers in the Hills. Before the last assembly election, GJM had managed to raise the daily wages of tea garden workers in the Hills to Rs 90 from Rs 67. It was believed that garden owners were cooperating with GJM to build a long-term relationship with the party which was expected to hold sway in the Hills for some time. The GNLF-affiliated Himalayan Plantation Workers Union, on the other hand, had lost much of its clout.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-09/kolkata/30134638_1_tea-garden-workers-gorkha-janmukti-morcha-gjm
DARJEELING: The first meeting between Darjeeling Planters Association and trade unions on Thursday ended with the signing of the bonus agreement for tea gardens in Darjeeling. Observers said the favourable bonus agreement would help Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) win the support of tea garden workers in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) election that is expected to be held in the coming months.
Bonus has been fixed at 20% for all categories of employees, from group A to group D. This was the first time that group D employees would get bonus at 20%, the highest they had got was 17% last year. The GJM-affiliated Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union led the wage negotiations for workers, though unions affiliated to Communist Party Revolutionary Marxist and Congress were also present.
It was agreed that the bonus would be disbursed in a single installment by the gardens before September 24. A few financially weak gardens wanted to disburse bonus in two installments, but GJM did not agree to this. The 87-odd gardens in Darjeeling employ about 55,000 workers.
With the GTA poll planned to be held after the finalization of the report of the high-power committee on inclusion of additional areas in Dooars and Terai to GTA, likely in the beginning of next year, the conclusion of a favourable bonus agreement would help GJM garner support for the party in the poll, observers said.
Tea gardens had been the traditional stronghold of Gorkha National Liberation Front, but GJM had gradually managed to win over the support of tea garden workers in the Hills. Before the last assembly election, GJM had managed to raise the daily wages of tea garden workers in the Hills to Rs 90 from Rs 67. It was believed that garden owners were cooperating with GJM to build a long-term relationship with the party which was expected to hold sway in the Hills for some time. The GNLF-affiliated Himalayan Plantation Workers Union, on the other hand, had lost much of its clout.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-09/kolkata/30134638_1_tea-garden-workers-gorkha-janmukti-morcha-gjm