West Bengal Tea Garden Workers' Strike: Mamata Banerjee Refrains from Intervention

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refused to intervene in the ongoing strike by tea garden workers in Darjeeling, who are demanding a 20% bonus. The Labour Commissioner is handling the situation, with a tripartite meeting underway. The conflict has led to a 12-hour general strike in the region.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday declined to intervene in the ongoing impasse over the payment of bonuses to tea garden workers in Darjeeling hills, who staged a 12-hour general strike in protest.

At a press conference in Siliguri, Banerjee attributed the deadlock to political disturbances and emphasized that she does not support any kind of strike. She stated that a tripartite meeting was currently underway involving the Labour Commissioner to address the workers' demands.

Tea garden workers are demanding a 20% bonus, but management has only offered a 13% bonus, leading to the stalemate. Labour unions announced the strike following the failure of negotiations. Banerjee declined to personally intervene, leaving the resolution to the Labour Commissioner.

(With inputs from agencies.)