Collective Bargaining in Tea industry — Presentation Transcript

1. Collective Bargaining inTea Industry 2. Overview of the Indian Tea What is Collective Bargaining?AGENDA Collective

Bargaining in Tea IndustryIndustry Public Sector Private Sector Brooke Bond Lipton Tata Global Beverages

3. What is Collective Bargaining?Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and a group of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditionsDiscussion of Issues : Wage Scales Working Hours Training Health & Safety Grievance Mechanism

4. Overview of the Indian Tea Industry 5. Connect 6. Overview of the Indian Tea 1823 – A tea plant wasIndustry discovered by Robert

Bruce 1839 – The Assamand Bessagaum in Assam Company, world’s first tea 2011company, was established Tea Production : 988.32 million kg Turnover : 10,000 crore No. of Employed people – 1.2 million (50% women) Generates income for another 10 million people

7. Public Sector 8. Collective Bargaining in Employers - 10 TeaPublic Sector Associations in India

(Consultative Committee of Plantations Associations - Employees – 15 Trade Unions in Tea Gardens (AssamCCPA) & Type of Regulatory Board – Tea Board of IndiaWest Bengal) Collective Bargaining Bipartite Tripartite – In presence of State Government

1995 – CCPA and All Trade9. Successful Incidents Unions in Tea Gardens Minimum employment age: 15 years Free housing and medical facilities to employees Food grains at highly subsidised rates for the 2011 – Indian Tea Associationemployees & Assam ChahMazdoorSangha (ACMS) Increased quantum of fringe benefits 900g dry tea leaves per month 342 cubic feet of firewood Additional compensation of Rs. 3 to sprayers

10. 2011 – CCPA and Trade Unions in Tea GardensSuccessful Incidents 2012 – Five tea planters associationPuja Bonus for tea workers at 20% &ACMS Fixed daily wage per head at Rs. 84 for Jan – Dec 2012 Every year, wage will be increased by Rs.5 Incentives to curb absenteeism

1999 – West Bengal11. Unsuccessful Incidents Planters Association & West Bengal Trade Unions Strike for 10 days 2011 – Dooars and Terai Regarding healthcare facilities Planters Association &AkhilBharatiyaAdivasiVikasParishad (ABAVP) Indefinite bandh Employees demanded Rs. 63 hike in wage Employers wished to give Rs. 24 hike in wage

12. Private Sector 13. Brooke Bond 14. One of the most profiteering brand Established in 1869Introduction It has the

following products Founder : Arthur Brookeunder Unilever under its brand: • Brooke Bond TajMahal • Brooke Bond Red Label • Brooke Bond TAAZA • Brooke Bond 3 Roses

15. Collective Universal European Trade Union Action Day at Brooke BondBargaining Unilever’s code of Business PrinciplesDeclaration of Human Right Labour relation complaint by International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) relating to its operations in India and Pakistan

16. Lipton 17. 1893 – Sir Thomas Lipton established the ThomasIntroduction J. 1991 - Unilever

1972 – Unilever bought Lipton businessLipton Co created a joint venture with Pepsi Co (the Pepsi Lipton Partnership)

18. Collective Bargaining- Over 8,000 workers wereCause employed in Unilevers Lipton tea Majority offactories across Pakistan them were considered temporary workers, hired through contract labor Workers at a Unilever Lipton tea factory in Pakistan wereagencies protesting the companys refusal to provide permanent jobs for their They could not join an union of No annual or medical leaveworkers Unilever workers and they used to receive 1/3rd of the permanent They were also being deprived of their bargaining powerworkers wage

19. Collective Bargaining- IUF filed a complaint withEffects the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to hold Unilever accountable for denying basic rights to the majority of its At Unilevers Lipton factory inworkers through subcontracting RahimYar Khan, Pakistan, the OECD complaint led to a settlement between the IUF and Unilever which secured the creation of new permanent positions for all the union-supported Action Committee Themembers Action Committee was formed to fight for their appointment as directly employed permanent workers with the right to join the union

20. Collective Bargaining - The settlement stipulatedProposal that Unilever will create 120 new permanent positions at the plant and all Action Committee members will be appointed to these positions According to the agreement, the workers should suffer no discrimination at the factory and the company pledged to abstain from interference in the work of the union in which they were enrolled as members

21. Tata Global Beverages 22. Formerly known as Started in the year 1964 by J.R.D TataIntroduction Includes

brands Headquartered in Kolkata, PaschimbangaaTata Tea like: Tata Tea Tetley Good Earth Teas Acquired Tetley JEMCA (UK company) in the year 2000 for $432 Current MDmillion & CEO: Percy T. Siganporia

23. Collective Bargaining- On May 9th August 2009, a pregnant lady worker (Mrs.Cause AartiOraon) It happened in the NoweraNuddycollapsed while working on the field plant in Lady was 8 months pregnant and sheJalpaiguri, Paschimbangaa was denied She wasmaternity leave even after applying several times not even provided with the basic medical treatment after collapsing in No transport facility was provided to her and she wasthe field carried to the hospital in a garbage tractor

24. Collective Bargaining- 8 women who took the lady to theEffects hospital & helped her were Arrestsuspended along with the lady warrant against Mrs. AartiOraon for theft, grievous bodily harm & Protest against the company by 500 women workerscriminal intimidation working Lockout at the plantation forat that particular location continuous 4 months i.e. August- Agreement signed with tradeDecember union

in front of minority workers present, resulting in 2nd lockout Lockout forced the employees to face extreme conditions: hunger

25. Collective Bargaining- All the employees wereEffects Condition was so extreme that emergencydenied wages, let alone bonuses ration was IUF raised its voice and asked for:distributed Allowing suspended workers back Withdrawal of FIR against Mrs. AartiOraon Clearing of wages due to the workers Starting the plant again

26. Collective Bargaining - It wasProposal proposed that: Both the party should withdraw the case Payments to all workers employed, from the time of the second lockout Family members of the two dismissed workers to be offered permanent jobs and the two dismissed workers to be given compensation Management to make a cash payment to Mrs. Oraon’s child as a gesture of goodwill a joint union-management meeting to be held at the estate to establish procedures and mechanisms for resolving grievances and raising awareness on maternity benefits and protection

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