The new company Amalgamated Plantations Pvt Ltd is effective from April 1, 2007, but Tata has kept subscription open for all stakeholders.

Percy Siganporia, managing director, Tata Tea said, the company wished to communicate to the workers its position on the new company.

He said the salient features of the scheme were that the service conditions of workers and employees would remain unchanged.

The company has assured that the wages, rations, medical benefits and other welfare provisions under the Plantation Labour Act would be honoured by the new company. 

The workers and staff would be eligible for bonus based on industry practice and payment of gratuity Act, PF, maternity benefit and all other Acts applicable to the tea industry would continue to applicable to the workers/staff of the new company.

The company has shot off letters to the four major unions in West Bengal-Chah Bagan Mazdoor Union, National Union of Plantation Workers, WBTGEA, West Bengal Chah Mazdur Sabha-on March 31, 2007, explaining its position.

Siganporia said, in all fairness it could be said that none of the West Bengal unions had said they would participate, but nor do we expect them to oppose tooth and nail.

"We will expect to mould their opinion as they go along," he said. Tata Tea has four estates in Bengal and 20 in Assam. 
The move to reassure workers stemmed after the unions said that they had rejected workers' participation in Tata Tea.  In Assam the main unions had said that they were not opposed to workers participation.

They had left it to the workers to decide on participation. Siganporia said the trend in Assam was positive. He however could not say what would be the extent of workers participation in either of the states.

He said, in the new company, once it was fully structured, IFC and IL&FS would have 20 per cent each, Globally Managed Services would have 12-13 per cent.

The balance would be held by Tata Tea, Tata Investment Corporation and would depend on workers and owner participation. Siganporia could not give a date as to how long the subscription would remain open.