Tea Plantation Labour in India weighing. Thereis a tea break in the afternoon; the tea supplier carries f.he container to the work spot. In some plantations there is a tea break in the forenoon too. ' . If the work 5p.ot is quite away from the colony the workers leave ome 30 to 40 minutes early to reach the spot, Previously 30 minutes grace time was allowed to reach the work spot, butnow i in . all plantations AM. work begins at 7.30 Division of Labour Ondthe pl?.ntations thfa labour force is divided into two groups: skilled and unskilled. The skilled category is again divided into A, BandC. Category A includes: ward boys and girls, factory watchmen, pecns, plumbers, pump operators, hospit e man. , hospital cooks, tea chest maker, estate check room and’tabl Category B includes: medical orderlies, engine drivers, oil engine drivers, » engiengine mechanicesi, ) car penters, ) masons , . blacksmiths and telephone operators, mecl C i:::if"my Cin ' cludes: . .lorry, car, tractor, jeep and ambulance drivers, 1c-cum-blacksmiths, electricians and fitters. beizzzlliki.lled field'and factory worlkers are called daily wage workers, moth X elr wage is based upon the number of days of work in a ­Normally women workers are kept away from factory work. W omen workers ar o e r i . b n a vo g l s ve s d i ­t n r p a l p u p c e k d i . ng w to hi t c h h ei t r hey b acks. So co m l e le t ct i i m n e b s a t skets water the gardens and nurseries, i e women do weeding and Normally girls above the é workers. They are usually ge of 16 years are appointed as temporary lant ST the k:in of those alalrreeaady workikinngg iin n th the fabou?::;nz}tfi:}i‘:e cases outsiders are also taken as texiporary workers, Women a ¥ gaun experience, they are absorbed as permanent finesse and coarsere considered £o be hetter pluckers than men. The loayes, Tine kiness O_f: the plucking depends upon the number of plucking, which tends to be the customary practice under 92 Tea Plantation Labour in Tamil Nadu normal conditions, means taking only the bud and two tender leaves. A medium plucking involves taking in the soft portion of the third leaf, and. coarse plucking means taking the bud and three or more leaves including the stalk. Very fine plucking reduces the "amount of yield and therefore tends to raise the cost of production. . Tea gardens are classified as of two types on the basis of the duration of the growth. A garden of up to two years old is clagsified as tip field; here only hand plucking is practiced. In plantation which have bed fields, mechanized plucking or shear plucking is practiced in many plantations. Men work both in the factory and field. In the field they plant the seedlings, prune the tea bushes, manure, dig, spray, trim the shadow trees, remove the old plants and also pluck tea leaves. As in the case of girls, boys are also recruited after the age of 16 years as temporary employees in the gardens. They become permanent after a period of time. Factory workers are selected mostly from among the efficient permanent field workers. Retirement age for both men after retirement many of them living outside the plantation. and women workers work as temporary is 60 years. Even employees, while In the plantation context children are not employed for any specific task. Sometimes they help their fathers in lopping the branches or pruning the tea bushes, and the mothers in plucking the leaves. They carry food to their parents if the work spot is far from the residential lines. The main and regular activity of children is collecting dry sticks of pruned tea bushes for use as fel. Wage Structure The present wage structure is based on the negotiated settlement arrived at between the workmen and the management of tea and coffee plantations in Tamil Nadu, who are members of the Planters Association of Tamil Nadu (under Section 18 (1) of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947). 93