Many tea gardens in North Bengal and Assam have been hit badly by notes ban.
A tea garden in North Bengal employing more than 1,500 people has suspended work citing cash crunch. The management of Tirrihanna Tea Garden blames it on the demonetisation announcement but trade unions say the management could be using notes ban as an excuse.
Santoshi Munda, a tea garden worker told reporters, "We haven't been paid this entire month. On Wednesday we met the management demanding payment of our dues. That day we gave up our wages to come and meet the management. We told them to pay us as we have worked."
Tea garden workers say they understand the management's plight due to currency shortage and that is why they haven't protested so far. But they add that the management has not bothered to communicate with them leading to unrest.
Tirrihanna Tea Garden is situated in the Naxalbari block of Darjeeling district of North Bengal. Set up in 1908, the tea garden management used to pay wages in cash every fortnight, a general practice in the tea industry. It was one of tea gardens that were doing good business even as the industry in general has been struggling, local trade union leaders said.
The tea garden management posted a work suspension notice which reportedly said that wages could not be paid due to the demonetisation announcement.
Several tea gardens in North Bengal and Assam have been hit badly by notes ban as wages in the tea industry were paid in cash until now. After the demonetisation announcement, there has been a scramble by the centre to open bank accounts for workers. However, not all tea gardens have successfully managed to open accounts for workers and the currency crunch has affected the entire tea industry.
Mahamud Ansari, another tea garden worker said, "We had told them to get cash from the bank for us to resume work after our meeting. Our dues are pending. They have simply shut the place and gone which is illegal."
The management has remained incommunicado since the announcement. NDTV tried reaching the management but there was no reply. Phone calls to Amlan Kusum Gorai, the manager went unanswered.
Tea garden workers however allege that payment has been delayed earlier too. So many questioning whether the delay is actually due to demonetisation or other reasons. Tea gardens require around Rs 12 to 13 lakh in cash per week on an average to pay wages.
Abhijit Mazumdar, the working president of Terai Sangrami Cha Sramik Union, told NDTV, "Many tea gardens are using demonetisation to evade responsibility to pay wages. Every year during this time the management of some tea gardens shut operations and leave to avoid re-investment for taking care of tea bushes during the winter months as plucking does not take place at this time."