Starting on Tuesday, August 7, Indian tea farmers went on strike in the Himalayan foothills of West Bengal state. Workers demanded an increase in daily wages. The unions planned the strike to coincide with monsoon season, which is peak production time. This is in order to exert maximum pressure on the tea estate owners and the government.
Aloke Chakraborty, president of the central committee of the United Union of Plantation Workers stated: “More than 400,000 workers from around 370 tea gardens are participating in the three-day strike. The minimum daily wage for a worker at the plantation is 169 rupees ($2.46). We have demanded a 20% raise to 203 rupees ($2.96).”
The tea plantation system in India is a holdover from the colonial era. Since the time of British rule, tea has remained a major Indian export, generating great wealth for the big tea companies and landowners at the expense of the farmers. These plantations are frequently in the news because of low wages and other abuses. Tea farmers are often from the ranks of India’s most oppressed ethnic minorities and face an uphill battle just to survive. Nevertheless, they have increasingly commanded national attention in recent years as they have organized for access to clean water and other basic rights. The recent strike could indicate an upturn in the movement in West Bengal.