Himalayan Times (1955)

July 17, 1955

"SimitUijan Si-ncn

Eleven

STRIKE IN DARJEELING HILL GARDEN

( Continued from page 3)

accepted and bonus for
1954 should be distributed.

3) Compensation for
closure of gardens in 1952
53 should be paid to
affected workers.

1 4) The scale of pay
of staff should be increa-
sed.

5) Standing orders
should be amended.

In reply to above
demands Deputy Labour*
Minister informed them
in the following wanner:

1) Decision as to the
rates of increase in wages
cannot be given imme-
diately. The Minimum
Wages Committee should
be called earlier than 16th
September to discuss this
question and send its re-
commendation to Govt.
The Meeting of the Mini-
mum Wages Committee
will be called within July
and even if the Committee
could not give a unani-
mous recommendation the
Govt, would fix the wages.

2) The Govt, would
refer the question of bonus
to the Tripartite meeting
which may be oalled some-'
times in July.

3) The olaim for com-
pensation for closure of
gardens was considered by
the Deputy Labour Minis-
ter not to be a general

demand. He advised the
Unions to wait till the
disposal of the other gene-
ral demands.

4) The Deputy Minis-
ter informed that the
question of the increase in
the soale of pay of staff
would also be referred to
the Minimum Wages com-
mittee.

5) The question of
amendment of Standing
Orders had already been
taken up with the I.T.A.
and Unions were informed
accordingly earlier.

i he question of wages
being the most important
demand the members en-
tered into a protracted
discussion of the question.
The members present were
of one opinion that the
wages of Rs. 1/7/6 per
day is just and reasonable.

The Union leaders
also made other three
demands which arose as
consequence of the strike.

1) Wages for strike
iperiod;

2) No victimization of
workers for their partici-
pation in the Strike- & 3)
the release of all arrested
in connexion with the
strike.

With regard to the
above first two demands
the Dy. Labour Minister

said that since the ttrike
was declared illegal it was .
rather difficult to say as
to how these matters could
be settled. However, be
assured that on principal
these demands were accep-
ted and that these would
be taken up after the
main demands were
settled.

With regard to the
third demand the Deputy
Commissioner assured that
those arrested only under
Security Act would be re-
leased after the strike was
called off but with regard
to the release of those
arrested under other sec-
tions he assured to look
through their oases sym-
pathetically.

The Union leaders
evinoed their willingness
to call off the strike in
the meeting of the 27th
June but they said they
could not give their final
decision without oonsult-
ng with the Action Com-
mittee members The De-
puty Commissioner pro-
mised to give facilities to
them to meet the Aotion
Committee members who
were in detention. The
Leaders met the Aotion
Committee in detention in
the afternoon of 28th June
and later in the evening
signed decision to call off
the seven day old strike
with immediate effect.

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