An indefinite protest launched by tea workers for the last three weeks has affected the tea industry in Jhapa. It’s the longest ever strike in the industry…The workers intensified agitation after tea producers expressed reluctance to provide the minimum wage fixed by the government last year. The government has fixed the daily wage at Rs 200…Chandi Prajuli, a tea estate owner, said the producers are unable to provide the government-fixed wage as it increases the operating costs which are already on the higher side amid load-shedding and high fuel prices. “Fuel accounts for 80 percent of our operating costs,” he said. “Factories cannot sustain within such a thin margin.”