Nepal Jhapa’s tea industry paralyzed as workers, farmers continue strike

JHAPA, May 28 : Tea industry of Jhapa district is reeling under workers´ strike since last one month with the workers demanding higher wages. The indefinite strike, launched at the peak tea-plucking season, has badly affected the tea industry of the district. The talks between agitating workers and tea factory owners that took place on Wednesday ended inconclusively after both sides held on to their stances. The agitating workers and factory owners have agreed to resume the discussions after both parties have done adequate homework on their demands.
Meanwhile, small farmers in the district have been pressing for the implementation of the three-fold agreement reached between farmers, factory owners and local administration around four years ago. Among other things, the agreement calls for revising the prices of tea leaves. The farmers have alleged that the tea factory owners honored the deal only for a few months. They complain that a total of 27 tea factories operating in Jhapa have been cheating them through syndicate system.
As per the farmers´ estimate, they have suffered losses worth Rs 400 million since the factories started violating the agreement. “We are compelled to protest against this injustice,” Purna Karki, a local ltea producer, said. Likewise, tea garden workers had joined the protest launched by the farmers after tea producers refused to provide them with minimum wage fixed by the government last year. Meanwhile, Ramesh Poudel, president of the Nepal Tea Producers´ Association, said, “We have decided to let the free and competitive market determine the price, a practice that is prevalent all around the world.” The dialogue between tea garden workers and factory owners that was initiated on Wednesday is expected to come to a conclusion by Friday, said a member involved in the talks, adding that it has been halted due to their stance only. Agitating farmers, after they had intensified their protest, were arrested by the police. However, around 3000 farmers have again started staging peaceful sit-ins.