Workers plucked tea leaves in the gardens of Chamong Tee in the Darjeeling hills on Sunday a day after the Bengal government had allowed plantations to use 25 per cent of the labour force for production.

Majority of trade unions of tea garden labourers are against resumption of work in the gardens given the threat posed by Covid-19 and seemed caught by surprise by the plucking on all 13 estates of Chamong Tee.

“Managers approached labourers and trade unions saying the government had allowed (plucking) and if they were willing, they could start work,” said A.K. Lohia, chairman, Chamong Tee Exports Private Limited.

“We are following all guidelines laid down by the government (to staunch the spread of the novel coronavirus,” he said.

Lohia added that he would request the state government to match its directive with the notification of the Centre.

The Centre had on April 3 allowed for work in the tea plantation with 50 per cent of the hands. But the state government on Saturday allowed the tea gardens to engage only 25 per cent of the workers for plucking leaves.

J.B. Tamang, the working president of the tea garden union affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s Binay Tamang camp, said: “I, too, heard that labourers of around 13 hill gardens joined work. I do not want to comment immediately. I will comment after taking into considering tomorrow’s development.”