Tea Workers Strike in India

WONG: For all those tea lovers out there, you might not like what is going on in India right now. Tea workers are on strike and that could mean higher prices for your favorite brews. Here's more. STORY: Thousands of Indian tea plantation workers in the eastern Darjeeling region went on strike on Monday demanding higher wages. The workers have threatened to step up their protests, endangering output of premium brews. The strike is organized by the Coordination Committee for Plantation Workers (CCPW) and Defense Committee of Plantation Workers Rights (DCPWR). The strike effects 350 gardens in peak season throughout the Himalayan region of eastern India. Workers say the shut-down will continue if their demands are not met. [Bani Roy, Tea Worker]: "Today all tea gardens remained closed since morning, nobody worked. We will continue our strike if our demands are not fulfilled." The trade unions have threatened an indefinite strike if negotiations do not go well. The region has roughly 700 commercial tea gardens, with many dating back to the era of British rule. India is the largest exporter and consumer of tea in the world.