Unkept promises & unpaid wages weigh heavily on N Bengal tea garden workers
Times of India | 23 April 2026
Jalpaiguri: As tea garden workers of north Bengal head to their polling booths on Thursday, many will carry heart-loads of unpaid dues, broken promises and a deepening uncertainty.
"I don't believe any party any more," said Joybirpara Tea Estate's Rakhi Barai. "They come before elections and make all sorts of promises. For generations, we have believed them, but our situation has not changed." Rakhi says she has not received her ‘talab' or daily wage for three months now.
The situation is similar in estates across the Dooars — Joybirpara, Dheklapara, Kathaguri, Dalmore or Bundapani. Tea workers officially earn Rs 250 a day, but many say the payment is erratic and employment is no longer assured. With several gardens lying unproductive or functioning only partially, workers often wait for hours for work and return home empty-handed.
In many families in the gardens, migration has become the only option, with younger members leaving for Kerala or the NCR in search of work.
Built on a plantation system dating back to colonial rule, tea estates were meant to provide not only employment but housing, healthcare and other welfare support also. "Estate hospitals are mostly shut now, labourer quarters are in ruins and even basic supplies like firewood are often unavailable," says Hari Chetri, a worker in Dheklapara Tea Estate.
Bengal has more than 300 tea estates employing over three lakh workers, but the sector has struggled for years with low auction prices, rising costs and repeated closures. Climate stress has worsened the situation, with erratic rainfall, rising temperatures and pest attacks.
"The industry is assailed by multiple factors," said PK Bhattacharjee of the Tea Association of India.
In an attempt to diversify income, state govt has, over the years, allowed portions of tea estate land to be used for tourism and commercial purposes, expanding this diversion to as much as 30%. On paper, this includes hotels, wellness centres and eco-tourism projects. On the ground, workers say little has changed. "The new management is not transparent," says tea-worker Bindu Oran. "Ownership changes have brought uncertainty, not stability," he added. Even schemes like Lakshmir Bhandar have brought limited relief.
For the 2026 polls, political parties have once again reached out to tea-workers with promises of higher wages and better living conditions. Both Trinamool and BJP have pledged to raise daily wages to Rs 300. Workers, however, show little sign of renewed faith.
In gardens of north Bengal, voting brings not as a moment of optimism but against a backdrop of fatigue, distrust and a daily struggle to endure.