• Hasibur Rahaman Molla

The tea industry in the Dooars region of West Bengal represents one of the most labour intensive sectors in India, employing a significant proportion of marginalized people. In recent decades, structural changes within the industry have led to an increasing shift from permanent employment towards casual, contractual, and seasonal labour arrangements. This research examines the implications of labour casualization on income security, livelihood sustainability, and social protection among tea workers in selected Dooars estates. Drawing on household surveys, focus group discussions, and interviews with trade union representatives and estate management, the study analyses patterns of wage volatility, access to statutory benefits, and the broader socio-economic consequences of insecure employment. The findings reveal a widening gap between statutory wage entitlements and actual earnings, coupled with reduced access to healthcare, housing, and educational facilities once guaranteed under permanent contracts. Women workers, who constitute the majority of the workforce, are disproportionately affected due to their concentration in casual employment categories. The paper argues that labour casualization increases poverty and also increases the structural vulnerabilities in plantation communities. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for stronger enforcement of labour laws, revision of wage structures to reflect living costs, and the extension of social security benefits to non-permanent workers. The study contributes to the broader discourse on precarious labour in agrarian economies and highlights the urgency of addressing inequalities in the plantation sector.

Dooars, tea industry, labour casualization, social protection, plantation communities, agrarian economies, inequalities.

"Labour Casualization and Income Insecurity among Tea Workers in the Dooars", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 9, page no.f159-f168, September-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2509522.pdf

"Labour Casualization and Income Insecurity among Tea Workers in the Dooars", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 9, page no. ppf159-f168, September-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2509522.pdf