Tea worker families die of starvation as units close

[Karmadillo]

Too bad the global war on terror has overshadowed the global war on workers.

http://athens-olympics-2004.newkerala.com/?action=fullnews&id=32731

Kathalguri (W.Bengal), Sept. 23 : Families of tea workers working in West Bengal are dying of starvation following the closure of tea estates that have left thousands jobless.

There are over 263 sprawling tea gardens in the state's beautious northern Darjeeling region employing some 500,000 people as pluckers, machine operators, techinicians or in the packaging units.

The units shut down in 2002 citing poor profits and continuous strike by workers demanding better pay benefits like provident fund, gratuity and medical allowances.

Workers, however, deny the charges saying that owners are raking in huge profits, but not giving a penny to them.

Those lucky enough to escape starvation, have fallen victim to diseases like malaria and diarrhoea because of their exposure to living in dirty and cramped localities.

more...

[wurzel]

1. It is called "Capitalism".

[xultar]

2. WOW AWFUL!!! How come this isn't on the news...oh Kobe and Scott

are taking up the time from real stories.

[Chicago Democrat]

3. Support Real Tea and decent working conditions... Don't buy ANY

Tea from Lipton, Tetley ANY BIG COMPANY!

BUY FRESH TEA FROM HERE:


http://www.dilmahtea.com/index.html

Straight from Ceylon!

[demnan]

4. I buy and drink a lot of tea from Darjeeling

I wonder what the fine tea importers have to say about this.

[mrbassman03]

6. I get it from a tea house...

The only way to get good monkey-picked oolong.

[DulceDecorum]

7. Monkey-picked???

What does that mean?

[kayell]

16. I thought that sounded wierd too. Once again, google is our friend

Monkey Picked Oolong
The ultimate oolong. When infused, the unbroken, evenly sized leaves gracefully unfurl to reveal the most complex oolong bouquet available. Its legendary name refers to Buddhist monks who trained monkeys to harvest the youngest leaves from the top of the wild tea trees. Presently the term "Monkey Picked" refers to the highest quality of oolong available. Made from the youngest tea leaves, this tea is perfect for multiple infusions. True tea connoisseurs dedicate a Yixing teapot exclusively for brewing this exceptional oolong.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/teavana/monpicool.html

Apparently no sinister meaning.

Edit: And at $25.00/2 oz. this is stuff for truly dedicated, not to mention well-to-do tea snobs.

[mrbassman03]

17. In history, the best tea used to be in places where people couldn't go...

Monks trained monkeys to get the tea from the mountain sides. Nowadays, only the best oolong tea from a certain province in China may be called monkey picked. It's very good.

[Xithras]

5. Damn, is there anyway to find out what tea is safe?

I buy most of my teas from Adagio, and just bought a bunch of Avongrove Darjeeling. Is there any way to find out if they're abusing their workers?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. Just tragic

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bread_and_roses]

10. What should the workers compromise?

wages that will feed them? a roof over their heads? health care? Where there are savage inequities, the COMPROMISE has to come from profits, not acceptance of virtual slavery from workers. Profit is supposed to be what's left over after the cost of doing business, yes? Well, the cost of doing business has to include decent wages, decent benefits, decent working conditions.

[Karmadillo]

11. Kick

n/t

[AngryOldDem]

12. Look into fair trade products

I'm not going to make an advertisement here, because you can search-engine the topic yourselves. But there are fair trade coffee and tea products available that guarantee the small farmers a living wage for their labors.

Import groups that work with these farmers in Central America, Africa, and Asia have determined the fair trade price for these commodities to be $1.26 per pound (compared to a world market price that has been as low as .35 per pound). The importer deals directly with the small farmer, and pays the $1.26 price regardless of how low the world market currently is. If world prices should rise above $1.26 (which isn't likely to happen soon, since supply is not outpacing demand), the farmers get a negotiated price above that.

Fair trade coffee products can be bought in groceries. Ask the store manager if he stocks them. Coffeehouses, too, stock some fair trade varieties -- again, ask.

The best thing about fair trade, though, is the example of one U.S. group. It has helped small farmers form cooperatives, totally
eliminating the middleman from the process. (How much profit do you think the small farmer gets when world prices are 50 cents and everyone between the farmer and the grocer get a cut of that 50 cents??)

The cooperatives, in turn, get total control of their profits, and some have used them to build health care facilities and schools in their regions, as well as buy updated equipment, etc. There have been a lot of success stories with fair trade.

Fair trade is the only way to go to make a difference in these exploited workers' lives. Reading the story above only confirms this to my mind.

Again, if you're interested, check it out -- PM me if you want and I can send you some links. This is something that we all can take part in, and help to make a difference in someone else's life.

[gottaB]

13. fair trade, organic means highest quality

Your taste buds will thank you.

[AngryOldDem]

14. It IS good coffee

...I should have mentioned that earlier. Thanks for pointing that out. :9 I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but when I do drink fair trade, I immediately notice the difference. Much richer flavor, great aroma.

It's just a good deal all around.

ON EDIT: One more thing -- farmers are encouraged to be environmentally responsible with their crops, and are given the chance to learn such agricultural practices. No pesticides, other chemicals, etc. are used, either.

[Swamp Rat]

15. Kick

people should never starve