RE 'Lazy' proprietors and' well-developed' labor divisions.
A few years ago, in a tea estate called Sapoi in Assam, a few hundred
workers surrounded two of the estate's executive officer's
[Manager/Asst Manager]bungalows. The Manager/Asst.Managers were inside
with their wives and family, including small children. They finally
came out to reason with the workers, who promptly caught them, doused
kerosene on them, and burnt them alive, also occasionally hacking at
them with daos and other sharp instruments and they burnt. This
happened in full view of the Managers/Asst Managers wives and kids.
The actual reason - The Manager and his staff has caught a few of their
workers illegally tapping into the electricity lines [electricity
theft]. When they were cautioned, some of them incited the others and
this incident happened.

Lets talk about worker benefits now. The tea garden workers today are
far, far better off then their neighbouring village folk. They are
guaranteed quarters, medical benefits, ration, and a whole host of
other welfare, which the poor village folk can only dream of. Apart
from this, their wages are not linked to productivity. A worker who
goes and plucks even 1 kg of leaf in a day [as against the stipulated
21 kgs] is still guaranteed a minimum amout of around Rs 45, not
including benefits. In the recent wage negotiation that happenned, when
the matter of productivity linked wages was broached, it was rejected
out of hand by the workers union. A pertininent question worth asking
then is - does a business [and it is a business] retain all its workers
even if it means it results in low productivity and losses, or is it a
better idea to lay off some workers for the greather common good?