Seven tea estates in Vandiperiyar face threat of closure

A tea plantation at Injikadu in Vandiperiyar hills. According to workers, no harvesting have been going on in the estates at present.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Seven tea estates under the POABS group in Vandiperiyar are facing a facing a threat of closure.

According to workers, the management has failed to provide wages and benefits to employees of Pambanar, Granby, Munjamullay (Manjumala), Nellikai, Thengakal, Injikadu, and Pasumallay (Pashumala) estates for the past five months.

According to plantation leaders, the seven estates cover a total of 1,440 hectares of land. The estates have 1,400 workers, including 1,100 permanent workers. They have not been receiving their salaries and other benefits from December onwards.

The workers suspect that the estates are facing a shutdown. According to them, the POABS group took over the estates in 2008, following their closure in 2000. No harvesting have been going on in the estates at present, said the workers, who added that this is also contributing to the loss of the company.

Trouble for traders

According to vendors here, Vandiperiyar mainly depends on plantation workers. Because of the wages issues in the estates, the traders here are also in trouble.

Historical records noted that these tea estates in Vandiperiyar were established by British planters during the early period of the plantation industry.

Kerala Plantation Workers Union (INTUC) general secretary Shaji Pynadathu said that a talk was held with Labour Minister V. Sivankutty on April 25. “However, the discussion failed as the management was unwilling to ensure the payment of salaries,” he said. “ Following this, the plantation workers’ unions and workers decided to collect tea leaves from the estates and sell it on their own, which forced the hands of the management. As of now, they have promised to pay one month’s salary within a week. The Labour department and the government have failed to intervene in the livelihood issue of hundreds of workers,” added Mr. Pynadathu.

Affecting lives

Bindu Velayudhan, a worker at Puthukkad division under the Pasumallay estate, said that the delay in the payment of salary has led to difficulties in their day-to-day lives. “We are living in estate layams (cluster homes) and plantation work is the only source of income for our family. For the past 33 years, I have been working in the estate,” said Ms. Velayudhan. 

“The income from the seven estates is not enough to manage their day-to-day costs. The company is incurring an annual loss of ₹20 crore while managing the estates and has diverted profits from its sister concerns to cover the management costs,” said a source from the POABS group.

“In the present situation, the company is struggling to manage the estates. While the average tea production in Munnar is 3,300kg per hectare, it is only 1,200 kg per hectare in Vandiperiyar. Without government support, the management cannot run the estates,” said the source.