Centre wants minimum wages issue at tea gardens settled soon

The Centre has asked the West Bengal state labour department to settle the minimum wages issue at tea gardens at the earliest.

"I have asked the West Bengal labour department to give a picture on what had happened in the closed tea gardens and told them that the minimum wages issue of tea garden workers should be settled at the earliest," Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman told PTI on the sidelines of a seminar on Skill India by Vidhyarthi Vikas today.

"One meeting has taken place. One more is scheduled and it should happen at the earliest so that efforts are made to reopen the closed tea gardens," she said.

Sitharaman visited two closed tea gardens in North Bengal recently along with senior officials of the Tea Board and West Bengal government.

She had also met the trade union representatives, who highlighted the plight of workers of the closed gardens.

The report on workers' condition was necessary in the wake of several complaints of reduction of fringe benefits, lack of water, power, educational institutions, medical facilities, malnutrition and Provident Fund default, the minister had said.

So far, there were no indications from the Centre on taking over of the closed tea gardens.