WUNRN
India:
Darjeeling - Women Now Field Supervisors in Dominant Tea Industry - Better Pay
& Respect - Benefits for Children's Education
By Kalpana Pradhan
Darjeeling (Women's Feature Service) - "The male field supervisors in the
tea garden now cooperate with me. But this was not the case 10 years back when
I was instated as the first female field supervisor on the estate. Things were
horrible then, with some of my male colleagues even threatening me to quit.
However, this reaction was not unexpected, as traditionally the job of a field
supervisor in the tea gardens is reserved for men," says Sheila Taman, 42,
who works at the Makaibari Tea Estate in Darjeeling, West Bengal.
The tea industry in Darjeeling directly provides employment to 50 per cent of
the working population - around 52,000 men and women. And though 60 per cent of
the workforce in the tea gardens comprises women, not many are allowed to do
anything other than weeding or plucking, tasks that pay very little. For
instance, a plucker's fortnightly income is not more than Rs 500 (US$1=Rs43.2).
The higher and, consequently, the better paying posts are usually male
dominated.
But in what could perhaps be termed as a significant initiative to empower
tribal hill women, tea estate owners have started appointing women as field
supervisors. Sheila is one of the first women field supervisors of the hill
station of Darjeeling. And the trend took off, thanks to the efforts of Raja
Banerjee, owner of the Makaibari Tea Estate, well-known for its organic teas.
In fact, Banerjee is viewed as a reformer of sorts in the area. "When I
first selected a lady for the post of field supervisor, the male workers were
dead against the decision. In fact, this was also the first time I faced
protests and even a riot-like situation on my estate. Some workers even warned
me of a lockdown. However, I was determined to give the women at least a chance
to prove themselves. Right now, out of the 25 field supervisors at my plantation,
seven are women," he says.
Locally, a field supervisor at the tea garden is known as a 'sarder'. Around 15
to 20 women pluckers work under a 'sarder'. Since colonial times, it was the
men who claimed the job of the 'sarder', but now there are around 70 women
'sarders' working in tea gardens and factories across town. After the
successful attempt of the Makaibari Tea Estate, others prominent estates like
Singell, Custleton and Ambutia, followed suit, employing women as field and
even factory supervisors.
"After years of neglect, the women working in the tea estates have finally
taken their first steps to a new path - a path of prosperity, recognition and
dignity," says a women plucker from the Kali Jhora 'Basti' (slum) in
Darjeeling.
While the men may be fuming over this development, the women are happy to work
under a woman boss. According Laxmi Limbu, a tea estate worker, things have
become much better ever since she started working under a woman field
supervisor five years back. She explains that most women are not comfortable
with male bosses, who are often drunk while on the job and who sometimes
misbehave with them. However, no one can really complain for fear of losing
pay. "In the eight years I have been working as a tea leaf plucker, I have
never once protested against ill-treatment by a male 'sarder', as I know that
he will create problems for me at the time of payment. We are poor people, we
cannot afford this," says Rani Lama, 33, a mother of three.
And, of course, women cannot share their problems and concerns with the male
'sarders'. Laxmi recalls the time when her son was just eight months old and
she needed time off in the day to go and breastfeed him. However, she could
never ask her male supervisor for a half-hour break.
Sujata Limbu, a plucker, agrees. "A woman boss can understand the problems
faced by working women. Though I am still working under a male 'sarder', I hope
that very soon I will also work under a woman. We want more women 'sarders' in
the tea gardens so that we can do our job better and with mental ease,"
says the young woman.
But it's not just the women pluckers who are happy with the work of women
'sarders', even tea estate owners are a satisfied lot. Banerjee says,
"This change as increased the productivity of my estate. I noticed that
after I started appointing women 'sarders', the women tea pluckers worked
better. From experience I know that it's the women pluckers who can do justice
with the job of plucking tea leaves as it requires a lot of patience. And the
presence of women supervisors has just eases the pressure on them and so their
productivity increases."
The men, too, grudgingly concede that a woman 'sarder' can be as competent. Dal
Bahadur Tamang, 72, a retired male 'sarder', reveals, "We were actually
frightened of losing our jobs to the women. So, we threatened our owner with a
lockdown. I had thought that women 'sarders' would never be successful or do
their duties properly, but I admit I was wrong."
And what of the women who are actually working as 'sarders'? Their lives, too,
have changed for the better. With a monthly salary between Rs 3,000 and Rs
5,000, they can now afford to dream of a brighter future for their children.
"I never ever imagined that I'd be able to educate my children. Today, my
older daughter is a computer teacher, while the other one is studying in Class
XI," says a proud Sujata Lama, factory supervisor at the Makaibari Tea
Estate. Literacy rates across the tea estates are poor, according to the
Darjeeling Tea Planters Association. Over 55 per cent of the population among
the labour households have only studied up to elementary level, less than 15
per cent have studied till the secondary level, while less than two per cent
have attended higher secondary classes.
The move to appoint women 'sarders' has been lauded by activists too.
"This will improve the lives of the hill women. With the money, they can
now educate their children. And with the respectable positions in the tea
estates they will not be tempted to migrate to the cities in search of better
opportunities," says Rama Das, Vice Chairperson, West Bengal State Women's
Commission, adding, "While the tea gardens in the Dooars and Terai region
of north Bengal are on the brink of closure, the estates in Darjeeling are
prospering due to the timely reforms and measures taken to empower its labour
force. Giving women their due can only make things better for everyone in the
industry, as it is dominated by women."
Courtesy: Women's Feature Service