Left trade unions blame Centre, state for tea garden problems

Hitting out at the alleged "indifferent attitude" of the state and the central government to the problems in the tea gardens, the Left trade unions today decided to conduct a relay hunger strike from November 27.
"The indifferent attitude of the state and the central government is the root cause of all the problems. The state government has not taken any step to solve the issuses," CITU state president Shyamal Chakraborty said.
Moreover, he alleged, the Rs two-per-kg rice that the workers were being provided with was unfit for human consumption.
Chakraborty said that they would sit in a 96-hour relay hunger strike in the tea gardens from November 27 along with the workers.

"We will also organise a symbolic strike on December 1 in the areas nearby tea gardens as a mark of protest," Chakraborty said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee last week had warned that the state government would take over tea gardens if their owners failed to operate them properly.