All West Bengal Tea Garden Labourers Union

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All West Bengal Tea Garden Labourers UnionFounded| 1989

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Headquarters| Hatighisa, West Bengal
Location|

* India

Key people

| Kanu Sanyal, working president

The All West Bengal Tea Garden Labourers Union (abbreviated AWBTGLU) is a trade union of tea plantation workers in northern West Bengal, India.[1] It was founded in 1989.[2] Politically, the union is aligned with the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist).[3] The veteran Naxalite leader Kanu Sanyal (founder of the original CPI (ML) in 1969, leader of the Communist Organisation of India (Marxist-Leninist) until its merger into the refounded CPI (ML) in 2003) served as the working president of AWBTGLU prior to his death in 2010.[2][4][5][6][7][8] The union was based in Sanyal's home village Hatighisa, near Naxalbari.[8][9]

Under Sanyal's leadership, the union fiercely criticized the plantation labour policies of the then Left Front government of West Bengal.[2][10][11] In 2002, Sanyal argued that lock-outs at north Bengal tea plantations had caused the death through hunger and diseases of 600 labourers. He charged the state government with indifference to the plight of tea labourers, labelling it a 'silent spectator'.[12]

Following Sanyal's death, leaders of AWBTGLU include Ram Ganesh and Pradip Debnath.[3] In 2011 AWBTGLU joined the Pashchim Banga Cha Sramik Karmachari Union, the Darjeeling Terai Dooars Chia Kaman Union and the Terai Sangrami Cha Sramik Union to launch a joint campaign, for implementation of a daily minimum wage of ₹245 for labourers at tea plantations (in order to comply with the norms of the 15th International Labour Conference and subsequent orders of the Supreme Court of India). Moreover, the four union resolved to campaign for the implementation of the Plantation Labour Act, and in case of sick and closed plantations demand the implementation of the 2010 Supreme Court directive.[13]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "The Telegraph - North Bengal & Sikkim". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
2. ^ a b c 13 March 2021, 03:11 AM IST. "Business News Today: Read Latest Business news, India Business News Live, Share Market & Economy News | The Economic Times". Articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 12 March 2021.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. ^ a b "Campaign for a Just Wage for Tea Plantation Workers launched | Media Room | New Trade Union Initiative". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
4. ^ "The Telegraph - North Bengal & Sikkim". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2003. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
5. ^ "The Telegraph - North Bengal & Sikkim". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. ^ "Kanu Sanyal forms new party - Times of India". articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
8. ^ a b "Naxalite icon Sanyal steered clear of dogmas - Times of India". articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
9. ^ "Red Star". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
10. ^ "The Telegraph - North Bengal & Sikkim". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
11. ^ "Amin 's threat fails to open gardens - Times of India". articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
12. ^ "Naxal leader alleges tea garden hunger deaths - Times of India". articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
13. ^ "Women Celebrating IWD Centenary Arrested in UP". Cpiml.org. Retrieved 12 March 2021.