Working conditions in Assam tea gardens poor

India started growing tea in the 1780s and the first consignment, grown in Assam, was sent to England in 1823 for public sale. The other agro-based industry, jute, which like tea, is mainly based in the eastern states has a long history, too. In the building of the two labour-intensive industries at a time when supporting infrastructure was virtually non-existent, vision and risk-taking propensity of English entrepreneurs counted for much. But nothing of that entrepreneurial adventure would have yielded results by way of giving millions around the globe a rich brew in the morning or an environment friendly food packaging material made from raw jute without the toil of tea garden and jute mill workers, who remain unsung heroes. Englishmen made enormous fortunes out of tea and jute before they started handing over assets to Indian groups. Assets in most cases were sold in good shape. But, workers in the two industries had to put up with poor wages and bad living conditions during English ownership.
 
Thanks to government intervention post Independence and spirited campaigns by trade unions, workers started getting more but certainly not enough. Otherwise, why should BBC and Radio 4 be doing an onsite "joint investigation" into some Assam tea gardens to find out the quality of life and working conditions of labourers? Some of the investigated gardens supply tea to leading UK tea brands like Twinings, PG Tips and Tetley. The investigation results are damning for Assam tea, which has the largest share in the country's production and export of the beverage. The fairness of BBC and Radio 4 reporting is universally recognised. So, when they find the living and working conditions in supposedly the country's best gardens "dangerous and degrading" that should be a wake-up call for Indian tea producers. The country's industry associations have, however, made it a practice to debunk reports of the kind from BBC and Radio 4.

The manager of an Assam garden, part of the world's biggest producer of tea, admitted living conditions for some workers were "not acceptable" and also of a "huge backlog of repairs" of dwellings and toilets. Also the head of Assam branch of Indian Tea Association told BBC and Radio 4 that workers' living conditions were "below normal". The report quotes him. "Let me be clear. Cesspools and open defecation are not acceptable to me or the Association. These issues need to be addressed." Law requires tea estates to provide housing and sanitary toilets to workers. The report shows photos of workers' house in a state of "terrible disrepair" and in some cases, "cesspits overflowing into the living areas of people's homes". Whatever the state of housing, tea producers will cite the cost involved in its providing as justification for their paying "extremely low wages... Tea workers in Assam earn Rs 115 ($1.50) a day, significantly below the Assam minimum daily wage of Rs 177."

A combination of dismal living conditions and low wages has kept tea workers and their families malnourished and in poor health. The Director of Assam Medical College told BBC and Radio 4 "nine out of 10 patients" from tea plantations were malnourished. Their being condemned to unhygienic living made them prone to diseases like diarrhoea, TB, meningitis and skin lesions. The industry is also exposed to criticism for some children below the age of 15 years, the United Nations ordained child labour cut-off point, working full time in estates supplying tea to some English iconic brands. Failure of gardens to ensure that workers put on protective gear and overalls every time they spray chemicals on bushes make them vulnerable to "serious side effects from chemical exposure". Earlier, Human Rights Institute of Columbia Law School found "abusive conditions" throughout the Indian tea industry.

Naturally, a leading UK brand which says in every box of tea bags "our tea is farmed by workers earning a decent wage, with access to good quality housing, medical care and education for their children", has reasons to be upset by the findings of BBC and Radio 4. Yet another tea blender and packer-member of Rainforest Alliance (RA), the ethical certification organisation, says its commitment is to do "trading with a conscience, doing business in a way that respects people and the planet". Harrods has stopped selling tea from an Assam garden for allegedly unethical practices. RA concedes flaws in its auditing. Pressure is mounting on Assam gardens to set their house in order.