Darjeeling: The labour union of Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM) has said that it has requested the tea garden labourers of Oaks Tea Garden to refrain from plucking tea leaves until the payment of their Provident Fund to the Employees Provident Front Organisation (EPFO). Speaking to the press, Darjeeling Terai Dooars Tea Garden Labour Union General Secretary K. B. Subba alleged that the officials of Oaks Tea Garden had not deposited the Provident Fund money raised from the employees and labours since May 2006. "We have thus stopped the tea garden labourers from plucking tea leaves since 11th of this month. A delegation from the union sat on dharna at the office today," informed Subba.
Warning Oaks Tea Garden officials Subba said, "Until and unless the Provident Fund is not deposited at the Employees Provident Front Organisation branch, we will not allow any work to take place in the garden. It is because of this gross neglect and apathy of the Oaks Tea Garden officials and the owners that the poor labourers have been forced to forgo a lot of misfortune. This act enforced by the Oaks Tea Garden officials and the owners is against the Law. We had been keeping an eye in this matter and had been corresponding the Assistant Superintendent of EPFO Siliguri branch since May 2008. However, the Provident Fund was not deposited.
Oaks Tea Estate is presently under the ownership of Messers S P Agarwal & Company. And according to the 1994 Government Notification has 339 employees.
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