PF Dues in Tea Sector Reach Rs 100 Crore

Ritabrata Banerjee, the president of INTTUC, said that the provident fund (PF) dues in the north Bengal tea industry have reached around ₹100 crore during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure.

He accused some tea companies of not paying the PF to the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) even after deducting it from workers' wages.

Banerjee demanded that a list of PF dues for each tea garden be made public.

He also alleged that the BJP has a tacit understanding with tea garden owners to suppress the issue of unpaid PF dues.

The INTTUC leader said the BJP had made false promises about reviving the tea industry and had not fulfilled their promises regarding closed Duncan-owned tea gardens.

Several district Trinamool leaders were present at a demonstration organized by the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU) in front of the regional EPFO office in Jalpaiguri.

Additionally, Banerjee stated that a recently announced Jalpaiguri district committee of the INTTUC was invalid due to the lack of the district Trinamool president's approval and signature.