Darjeeling Tea Workers Strike: Long-Standing Issues Prompt Highway Blockade

Darjeeling tea garden workers have blocked the National Highway for a 12-hour strike, demanding a 20% bonus. Trade unions and workers claim long-standing issues remain unresolved. Despite some measures by the Centre for small tea growers, the entire industry’s plight persists, affecting North Bengal’s economic backbone.

Darjeeling tea garden workers, represented by their trade union, have blocked the National Highway, calling for a 12-hour strike to demand a 20% bonus. The agitated workers say the issue has been ongoing for a long time without resolution.

Suman Tamang, a trade union leader, stated, "This issue is not new; it is very old. Yesterday, the fourth round of meetings at Shramik Bhavan yielded no solution. All trade unions have called for the strike, with support from all political parties." In March, tea growers also criticized the Centre’s role in the industry’s revival, urging immediate attention to their crisis.

Although the Centre has taken steps like crop insurance and financial packages for small tea growers, there is a lack of focus on the entire industry. As the main economic backbone of Darjeeling in North Bengal, the tea industry produces 250 million kg annually out of India's 1,400 million kg. Over five lakh workers are reliant on this industry, which includes about 300 tea gardens in Darjeeling, Terai, and Dooars.

Earlier this year, Subashish Roy, manager at Arya Tea Estate, highlighted that tea plantation workers currently earn Rs 250 per day, up from under Rs 200. Amid the economic downturn, Roy said the industry is exploring alternatives such as tea tourism. (ANI)