Tea union forum to seek workers’ views Siliguri, 18 November: The Joint Forum (JF) of 23 trade unions associated with tea plantations has called a meeting at Chalsa in the Dooars on 26 November. The forum plans to formulate its strategies further and demand implementation of the Minimum Wages Act (MWA)for tea workers. JF leaders have asked their activists across the tea belt in north Bengal to interact with tea workers to know their views about the ongoing movement and opinions on the agitation for implementation of the MWA. Activists will also ask the workers what they feel about signing a tripartite wage agreement for an year by leaving the traditional concept of a three-year pact, so as to demand the MWA in a tactful manner. Based on the feedback from the workers and the grassroots level leaders, JF leaders will formulate its strategies before attending the next tripartite meeting, which may be called shortly. At a time when JF leaders have been standing by their one-point demand for the MWA, state officials fear that a settlement will be delayed despite the state labour minister’s efforts to hike the wages by more than 40 percent based on the present daily wages for three years. Notably, JF leaders yesterday informed the state labour department that the state should call the next tripartite meeting immediately after issuing a notification for the implementation of the MWA. The agenda of the meeting should be implementation of the MWA at a time when the Centre has asked the state government to implement the same, they said. “If the state starts discussions on the MWA, we will go for a one-year wage agreement with effect from 1 April 2014,” said a senior leader of the JF. However, planters are keeping a close watch on the Forum’s strategies. A senior official of the planters’ body in the Dooars said: “We are keeping a close watch on the development. Trade unions want to record an assurance from the planters for implementing the MWA. If they fail to do so, JF leaders will land in trouble in continuing their movement for the workers.” “The objective of the JF leaders’ plan to sign an agreement for one year is to pacify the workers in the present situation, because they (workers) will be getting an arrear of the increment for one year,” he said. sns
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 07:49:25 +0000
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