Agartala, May 28:
Alleging years of neglect and exploitation, tea garden workers of Golakpur in Kailashahar under Unakoti district of Tripura, staged a massive protest on Wednesday, demanding fair wages, permanent employment, and essential facilities.
The agitation, led by the Golakpur unit of the Tripura Cha Mazdoor Sangh, resulted in road blockades and a complete halt in tea garden operations, creating high tension in the area and prompting a heavy police deployment.
The workers, frustrated by the management’s prolonged inaction on wage hikes and basic amenities, blocked the Srirampur–Ishan Chowdhury Para road and later marched to the tea garden office, raising slogans against the garden authorities. Their protest centered around a 17-point charter of demands.
When management representative Subir Pal arrived at the protest site, initial attempts to pacify the workers only escalated tensions. However, in the presence of police personnel, discussions over the demands eventually commenced.
Union leader Santosh Chasha informed the media that the workers had not been made permanent in the past seven years, nor were they enrolled under the Provident Fund scheme.
Other key demands included a hike in daily wages, employment of tea garden workers’ family members in vacant posts, transportation and medical support for sick workers, permanent access to clean drinking water and housing repairs, equal pay for local youths compared to outside workers, ban on child labour within the garden premises, construction of toilets and weighing sheds beside timely distribution of essentials.
Following detailed discussions, Subir Pal assured that the management would take up the issues with the owners and try to implement solutions within a month.
Based on this assurance, the strike and protest were called off, however, Chasha cautioned that if the demands remain unaddressed, a more intensified movement would be launched by the union.
The Golakpur tea garden, operated by West Bengal-based Laxmi Tea Group for over 20 years, has faced long-standing allegations of worker exploitation and denial of basic entitlements by political leaders and local organizations.
