THE Puja bonus has become another thorny issue between the workers and the management in the Assam tea gardens, forcing many tea executives to go on a mass leave. Industry sources — both from upper Assam and Guwahati- confirmed that a large section of executives are proceeding on leave from the middle of September to escape the wrath of the tea labourers. Already three tea executives have been torched in separate incidents in labour related issue and the tea executives are not taking any chances. The Puja bonus is a big issue among the 1.5 lakh labourers in Assam in the 800-odd gardens and traditionally they have been paid a bonus of around 20 per cent. But this time with the market taking a nosedive, tea estates have virtually thrown up their hands in despair. The season of discontent in the tea industry looks set to spill over into the festive months with as many as 40 per cent of the gardens in Assam claiming they do not have the funds to pay bonus to workers.

The State Government backed by the Assam Cha Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), main representative of the labour, have asked for a payment at the rate of 8.33 per cent. This has angered both the management as well as the labourers. The management says they have no money whatsoever while the labourers have said it is too meagre an amount to be accepted. Secretary of the Assam Branch of the Indian Tea Association (ABBITA), Dhiraj Kakati, denied reports that companies are faking financial crisis. “It is really the worst-case scenario. Forty per cent of the gardens of Assam actually cannot afford to pay bonus even at the minimum rate of 8.33 per cent. Those gardens which want to pay bonus under any circumstance will have to make delayed payments or in instalments,” he said. Mr Kakati claimed that most gardens had gone from bad to worse this year. “Unlike last year, we are not even in a position to negotiate with the labour organisations,” he said.

Earlier, Dispur has asked all gardens to provide their audited financial statements for the past three years to the Asom Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), the apex organisation of tea garden labourers, by August 31. The decision to make the balance sheets of tea companies available to the ACMS was taken at a meeting of government officials, captains of the industry and representatives of the workers. The industry is reeling under the impact of the worst crisis in its history, caused by plummeting prices of tea and manifold increase in the cost of production. The relationship between workers and managerial staff has deteriorated along with the fortunes of tea companies. Three executives—two of Sapoi Tea Estate in Sonitpur district and one of Nandanban Tea Estate in Dibrugarh district-were killed by workers recently. A lockout was declared in Sapoi following the incident, but it has since been lifted. There are nearly 850 tea estates in Assam and they have to pay Rs 300 crore as bonus to the workers each year.

Expectedly the Assam Government’s effort to break the labour log jam has hit a road block. Only 36 of the 850 registered tea estates have submitted their balance sheets to the Government at the time of going to press. Earlier the government had fixed August 30 as the deadline so that the bonus issue could be settled well ahead of the Durga Puja. Labour Minister Rameswar Dhanowar, who is also the chairman of the State Labourers’ Standing Committee, is still hopeful that the bonus issue will be sorted out before the Durga Puja.  On reports of large-scale desertion of tea executives in upper Assam fearing backlash in the event of tea managements’ failure to provide bonus to the labourers, Dhanowar, who had visited upper Assam and had discussions with a number of tea managements recently, said that the situation was normal.

“I want to settle the bonus issue in line with the system prevailing in West Bengal, where tea estates with 1,200-700 acres of land have to pay 20 per cent bonus, 15 to 18 per cent by tea estates with 700-500 acres of land and 12 per cent by TEs having below 500 acres of land,” he said, adding that this system could be started from next year. He further said that some people like small traders, brokers in tea gardens and others were provoking the labourers for creating unrest over the bonus issue. The DCs have been instructed to foil such attempts.

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