Darjeeling (West Bengal) [India] September 30 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday denied support to the 12-hour hill strike by trade unions demanding 20 per cent bonus for tea garden workers.
CM Mamata Banerjee said that the meeting of the trade union is underway with Labour Commission and she can’t ‘interfere’ in the matter.
“We do not support the strike, whatever their demands are, they will discuss them in a meeting with the Labour Commission. I cannot interfere in this, the Labour Commission is meeting with them,” CM Mamata Banerjee said.
Darjeeling MP and BJP spokesperson Raju Bista said that the CM must intervene as the workers had been forced to call a strike as the government has turned a deaf ear to them.
“It is extremely unfortunate that the Chief Minister of the State, Mamata Banerjee ji, who is currently in North Bengal has refused to intervene in favour of the tea garden workers. Instead she has labelled their 12-hour strike, called in support of their demand as being politically instigated. I humbly want to remind the Chief Minister that, the tea workers have been forced to call for a strike, after the Tea Industry, the WB Labour Department, and the Govt of WB has turned a blind eye and deaf ears to their plight. Had the WB government proactively taken up the workers’ demand, and sorted out the bonus issue, the workers wouldn’t have to hit the streets in protest,” Bista said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Trade unions representing Darjeeling tea garden workers on Monday called for a 12-hour strike demanding a 20 per cent bonus for tea garden workers.
The agitated trade unions and workers said that the issue has been persisting for a long time and a solution is yet to be sought.
Leader of a Trade Union, Suman Tamang, says, “This issue is not new; it is very old. Yesterday the fourth round of meetings was held in Shramik Bhavan but no solution came out of the meeting. All trade unions have called for a 12-hour strike. All political parties are supporting us.”
In March of this year, tea growers also expressed their disappointment with the role of the centre in terms of its revival and urged the centre to address their plight. They said that Darjeeling tea is facing a crisis. (ANI)
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