Tea garden in trouble, lock-out declared

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Tea garden in trouble, lock-out declared

Special Correspondent
SILCHAR, Feb 2: Within 48 hours of appreciation of the trade union leadership of this valley maintaining close and better relationship with tea management at the last AGM of TAI, Barak Valley branch, held on January 31, trouble is brewing in the tea garden of Aolabari in the Karimganj district.

According to information, after being allegedly assaulted by workers, the manager Parash Nath Singh left the garden at midnight of Saturday, declaring lock out.

More than 250 workers of one of the oldest garden are now virtually left in the lurch.

The turn of events have taken them by surprise because of the decision of the management taken unilaterally, keeping them in the dark.

They are now faced with uncertain future, looming large over them. Lock out notice hung on Saturday became effective from Sunday.

Inside sources pinpoint the trouble to the conflict between the manager and the labour front on various issues. Panchayat member Subash Kalindi said it was most unfortunate that the management should declare lock out without taking the trade union into confidence.

The situation became tense, as he said, when the manager filed FIR with the nearest Longai police station against four workers who have been retrenched.

The workers in question assaulted the manager who retaliated by resorting to lock out, as a management source pointed out. No arrest has yet been made by the police.

According to sources, four workers identified as Madan Mohan Pandey, Radheshyam Karmakar, Milan Karmakar and Shanu Karmakar were retrenched without any valid ground.

They approached Cachar Cha Sramik Union (CCSU) which pressured the management to withdraw the order of retrenchment and to reinstate them. But the manager not only refused to withdraw the order but also declined to give reasons for their dismissal.

Pushed to the wall, the workers angered and enraged by the action of the manager beat him up on last Friday.

Quite strangely, despite tension following the unsavoury incident, normal functioning of the tea garden was not affected. Cachar Cha Sramik Union (CCSU) on the other hand wanted free and fair investigation into the case of assault by the workers.

But the way the manager took the decision for lock out was described by the union as most "arbitrary, whimsical and undemocratic". CCSU functionary Dinanath Baroi along with other members is expected to visit the garden soon to take stock of the situation and for exploring the best course of action to restore normal functioning of the garden. source: the sentinel assam