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India: Workers at Kalchini and Bhatpara tea estates report deplorable housing conditions, incl. co. responses
In December 2022, it was reported that workers at the Kalchini and Bhatpara tea estates in Alipurduar claimed that estate housing is in "pathetic shape", with workers and their families sleeping under tarpaulin after roofs collapsed.
The Resource Centre invited Unilever - a recent buyer from the estate according to its own publicly disclosed supplier list - to respond. The Resource Centre also invited Lipton Teas and Infusions (Lipton), which took over most of Unilever's tea business in 2022 - to respond. Lipton confirmed that it does not source tea from either of the estates.
Their full responses are included below.