Tea Plantation Labour in India name of Nilgiris District Estate Workers Union. This union was su‘pported by the then ruling Congress Party. Later the union merged with the INTUC(Indian National Trade Union Congress) and is the dominant trade union in the Nilgiris district. ¥n course of time, other trade unions emerged. The other major trade unions are HMS(Hindu Mazdoor Sabha), LPF(Labour Progressive Front) trade union wing of DMK(Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and ATTS(I}nna Thotta Thozhilalar Sangam) trade union wing of ATADMK (Al‘l India AnnaDravida Munnetra Kazhagam). The other central trade unions are the CITU(Central Indian Trade Union) and AITUC(All India Trade Union Congress) the trade union wings of the CPI-M [Comr{mnist Party of India(Marxist)] and the CPI(Communist Party of India). The last two unions are restricted to the Gudalur taluk; in the other three taluks these two trade unions are making efforts to organise the labourers working in the small gardens of individual planters. _ According to the workers, the trade unions give security to their jobs. They also help the workers in solving their problems with the managen{eflt_ But;-still a section of the workers is not satisfied with the COI::{Jromlsm_g attitude the trade union leaders follow in reaching& mal.lagemfmt’ an approach which differs from the zie the WzOrgIgIzeeirszxtTShLt%we eafc'her union leaders who fought for the rights of anion amd ] el:'("]atlonShlp between the members of the same trade normally smo;?h r(I%‘ilJI\rr-'.en. the members of different trade unions i ot has been no major strike in the Nilgiris during the recent in th past past except in one plantation (Nonesuch) at Coonoor taluk e year 1989, The main demand was to raise bonus, but the wmiatnhadgreemwentthe dsitdrikneo,t yield to o th the demand and the labourers eventually Labour Welfare 3;11;@ esl‘:‘;:z dGif;\gsir:;m?ixt has. apl?ointed three Plantation Inspectors for are and l K o o o b k t e a d rin af t ter & b ly o k t wo e d N i l f l fe g r m e s n . t T P h l o ant t a a t l i u o k n s I of ns C pe o c o t n o o r o s r . a O n o d ta G c u a d m a u l n i d x Inspector gT'l hl aluks are ur.lder the control of the third Plantation ­The Inspectors visit the plantations periodically to check 96 Tea Plantation Labour in Tamil Nadu whether the according to records. The months, managements the Plantation Inspector has had provided amenities to Labour Act (PLA) and also to visit a plantation at least the workers to verify the once in four According to the Plantation Inspectors, the PLA needs a thorough revision. The punishment for breach of rules and failing to follow the PLA terms is very meagre. In many cases the managements, instead of correcting the fault, prefer to pay the fine if the case is taken to the courts. Workers in some of the plantations allege that the Plantation Inspectors do not visit the labour lines when they go to the plantations. Another unwritten law which exists in the plantations-is that if a worker wants to make a complaint to the Plantation Inspector he has first to inform the management and if the management fails torespond, then he can proceed and complain to the Plantation Inspector. Tea Board (Coonoor) The Tea Board under its Labour Welfare Scheme (the current one was revised by the Labour Welfare Committee and Tea Board at its meeting held on, 28 June 1.994) sanctions capital grants to the managements mainly for construction work and to maintain buildings for schools and hospitals in the plantations. It also provides stipends to the children of the plantation workers to meet the school expenses, provide financial support to the disabled persons and also to encourage sports activities in the plantation precincts. In the Nilgiris district during the recent past the Tea Board has for constructing one hospital and three schools located in pr d o i v f i f d e e re d nt f p in l a a n n e t c a i t a i l on s s u . p T p h o e rt total number of students from South India who received stipends for the year 1991-92 are 2175, e 8253. (Office records, Tea Board, Coonoor). According t a o nd th f e or T t e h a e B y o ea a r rd 19 o 9 f 2 f ­ic 9 i 3 als ar in Coonoor, the Nilgiris has got around 30 per cent of this allocation. The other assistance rendered by suffering from tuberculosis (in the Nilgiris prevalence of the th t e ub B e o rc a u r l d osi is s to ca t s h e e s pa is tie s n u t b s stantial). The Board helps patients at the T.B. Sanatorium located at Perundural, Periyar district; it allocates Rs. 50 per day per patient. The total number of patient days 97