JORHAT, Sept 26 - Employees and officers (scientists included) of Tocklai Tea Research Institute (TTRI) at Cinnamara here have been on an indefinite cease-work protest programme since Monday against non-fulfilment of long-standing demands.
Said to be the oldest and largest tea research centre in the world being established in 1911, the TTRI is under the Tea Research Association having its research headquarters at Cinnamara and the registered office in Kolkata.
The employees and the officers under the banner of the Coordination Committee (CC) comprising Tocklai Employees� Union (TEU) and Officers� Association have been staying away from work and staging sit-in demonstration in front of the TTRI director�s office since September 23.
It may be mentioned here that there are 196 employees and officers working in the TTRI.
Devajit Baruah, TEU secretary and one of the conveners of CC, told this newspaper that despite several pleas to the TRA management in recent times to fulfil the pending demands, the written assurances given by the management on March 31 and June 30 this year to clear all the arrears have not been honoured.
�We have been compelled to resort to a protest programme of boycotting work as the management has completely turned a blind eye to the issues of the employees and officers of TTRI,� he said, adding that the indefinite protest programme will continue if the TRA management did not respond to their demands.
