Quality Of Work Life Of Tea Plantation Workers

Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization policy was advocated in India in 1991 under the supervision of P.V. Narasimha Rao, the then Prime Minister of India. As a consequence, the tea plantation industry was largely affected. It has confronted difficult competition because of the simplification of tariff barriers and the removal of the quantity restrictions on imports. The result of these on the share of export of Indian tea has declined, the price has plunged, and the profitability has reduced. To remain competitive in the market, tea-producing companies have been forced to reduce the various costs, especially labour costs. Due to this, tea companies are not in a position to fulfil their responsibilities such as health, safety, welfare, and working conditions to the workers. Besides, improper recruitment of labour, lack of proper training facilities, and even irregularities in payment of wages have been increased significantly. As a result, 1.2 million workers in the tea industry to sustain themselves and their families have been adversely affected. This leads to labour unrest and the industry has become vulnerable. The final impact of all these issues spreads to the quality of tea and profitability of the industry in India. This book examines the existing human resource management practices in the Indian tea industry. It adopts a simplified yet comprehensive approach to showcase workforce management in the tea industry. This book will be of value to postgraduate students, researchers, HR professionals, and policymakers in the fields of human resource management, business history, and industrial relations.

Globalization and Plantation Workers in North-East India is a piece of research study regarding the impacts of globalization among the workers. The impacts have been analysed thoroughly in regard to the case of Darjeeling tea industry along with the industry in relation to other regions of West Bengal and Assam of North-East India. Since this is the first Sociological study on the impacts of globalization among plantation workers, it will elucidate the positive and negative sides of present globalization process in the industry. It has also incorporated a whole lot of the assessment of changes taking place since 1991 of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalization of Indian economy in tea frontiers of North-East India. The work will be a very essential reference book for the researchers who are going to contribute more for the literature on plantation study in Indian in near future.

This Book Focusses On The Migration Pattern, Socio-Economic And Cultural Profile, Role Of Trade Unions And Implication Of Labour Legislation On The Tea Garden Labourers And The Problems Of The Different Target Groups In The Tea Estates Of Barak Valley, Assam.

This book provides an overview of marginality or marginalization, as a concept, characterizing a situation of impediments – social, political, economic, physical, and environmental – that impact the abilities of many people and societies to improve their human condition. It examines a wide range of examples and viewpoints of societies struggling with poverty, social inequality and marginalization. Though the book will be especially interesting for those looking for insights into the situation and position of ethnic groups living in harsh mountainous conditions in the Himalayan region, examples from other parts of the world such as Kyrgyzstan, Israel, Switzerland and Finland provide an opportunity for comparison of marginality and marginalization from around the world. Also addressed are issues such as livelihood, outmigration and environmental threats, taking into account the conditions, scale and perspective of observation. Throughout the text, particular attention is given to the context and concept of ‘marginalization’, which sadly remains a persistent reality of human life. It is in this context that this book seeks to advance our global understanding of what marginalization is, how it is manifested and what causes it, while also proposing remedial strategies.

What is the role of quality in contemporary capitalism? How is a product as ordinary as a bag of tea judged for its quality? In her innovative study, Sarah Besky addresses these questions by going inside an Indian auction house where experts taste and appraise mass-market black tea, one of the world's most recognized commodities. Pairing rich historical data with ethnographic research among agronomists, professional tea tasters and traders, and tea plantation workers, Besky shows how the meaning of quality has been subjected to nearly constant experimentation and debate throughout the history of the tea industry. Working across fields of political economy, science and technology studies, and sensory ethnography, Tasting Qualities argues for an approach to quality that sees it not as a final destination for economic, imperial, or post-imperial projects but as an opening for those projects.

This pioneering collection of essays brings together a description and analysis of women workers and the socio-economic systems of plantations world-wide. The plantation remains a formidable force in many areas of the world and new trends towards tree farming call for further examination of its agriculture. Women have, in the past, constituted a considerable precentage of the work force in this milieu, and continue to do so.Using specific case studies of historical and contemporary plantations, an account is given of the history of female labour, focusing on the colonial and post-colonial eras. The essays examine reasons for women's degraded status and emphasize, in particular, issues relating to migrant workers.The gradual move away from traditional family roles is, to some extent, reflected in variations in the position of the female plantation worker. However, where inequalities in class and status continue to characterize plantation life, capitalist and patriarchal control prevails.Both chilling and bracing, the sufferings of plantation labourers may seem remote to most of us, but they are still very much part of the contemporary world. Providing a close insight into the lives of the female protagonists, these essays have given an opportunity for their stories to be heard.