Tetley bosses have claimed that workers welfare was "of the utmost importance" after it emerged that West Bengal state officials have started distributing emergency food rations to tea workers who have been locked out for months.
Bosses closed the Nowera Nuddy estate in Jalpaiguri district of northern Bengal on September 14, citing "unrest."
According to the International Union of Food workers (IUF), the workers' crime was to protest against the mistreatment of a young tea worker who was denied maternity leave and eventually collapsed while working in the fields.
The incident reportedly triggered protests, leading to the lockout.
Tetley is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, which "aims to improve the lives of tea workers."
Indian transnational Tata Tea, which owns Tetley, said: "The welfare of the workforce on the Nowera Nuddy Tea Estate and all other tea estates that supply Tetley Tea is of utmost importance to the group."
The IUF has organised an online campaign in support of the locked out workers on its website: http://bit.ly/8GavGL
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/84054
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