Amidst lockdown and death, tea garden workers in Bengal demand wages

'The lockdown for preventing the spread of the coronavirus could not have had come at a worse time for the tea gardens of north Bengal, for it coincided with the flush production of the Darjeeling tea industry. The first flush, which is harvested in March, and the second flush of May, are the biggest source of revenue for the tea gardens of the region, and till a few days ago, despite the lockdown, plucking of tea leaves continued in some gardens... “An immediate lockdown of [tea] gardens is necessary, but with the survival of the workers in mind. We insist that employers should be made to pay full wages for the period of lockdown. As wages in tea gardens are generally paid on a weekly or fortnightly basis, the same procedure should be followed,” read a letter sent to the Chief Secretary of the State...'