Jorhat, June 9: A Switzerland-based international labour union has taken up cudgels on behalf of India?s 20 lakh-strong tea workforce, which is bearing the brunt of the worst recession in the industry?s chequered history.
In a letter to Union commerce minister Arun Jaitley, the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers? Associations said the plight of tea labourers was cause for ?grave concern?.
The union is affiliated to the International Labour Organisation and represents three million workers from 124 countries.
Its general secretary, Ron Oswald, said in his letter to Jaitley that scores of labourers in tea estates across Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu had committed suicide, unable to bear the agony of going without wages.
Citing statistics, Oswald said the plight of tea workers was the direct outcome of the unprecedented decline in prices of tea at auctions in the past few years. ?As of now, 20 tea plantations in West Bengal, 10 plantations and 10 tea factories in Kerala, two plantations in Tamil Nadu and eight plantations in Assam are closed, affecting more than 65,000 workers,? he said.
Oswald said some tea companies had declared lockouts in an ad hoc manner: ?As many as 20,000 tea plantation workers in Kerala alone have not received wages for as long as 20 months.?
The labour rights advocate partly blamed unscrupulous tea buyers and traders for the crisis in the industry. ?We suspect that tea auction prices have been steadily declining because of foul play by the tea brokers, buyers and auctioneers. This has resulted in extreme cases of starvation deaths and suicide by many workers. So far, we know of at least 20 starvation deaths,? Oswald said. He claimed that women workers in some areas had taken to prostitution to keep the home fires burning.
Oswald appealed for immediate intervention by the Centre and efforts by captains of the industry to reopen closed plantations. He said the government should pin responsibility on plantation owners, companies and managers for non-payment of wages to workers.
Sources in the industry said the labour union could extend financial assistance to plantation workers. A former official of the Assam Branch of the Indian Tea Association said the Switzerland-based organisation had impeccable credentials. ?It is known to have helped other industries in times of need and is in constant touch with captains of the Indian tea industry.?
Of the nearly 20 lakh tea labourers in the country, over 10 lakh are in Assam. The figure includes permanent and casual labourers.