Ramifications of the present crises in tea sector are multifaceted. The commonly observed micro-level developments together with the macro-level rearrangements in all tea-growing countries are the decline of wages and commodity prices; emergence of small growers; closure and abandonment of large plantations; lower level of organization; absence and curtailment of or non-compliance with existing social security entitlements; and withdrawal of state subsidy for the tea sector. The new segment of small growers, which emerged from the structural rearrangement of the tea sector, and the plantation labourers at the lower level of the chain are the most affected groups of the present crisis. The conference tried to place the present crisis in the wider canvas of structural reorganization. This was supplemented by individual country experiences. On the basis of these inputs, the conference proposed an International Declaration on the Rights of the Tea Workers and Small Growers. The declaration broadly covers the principles of living wages, ownership of homestead land for tea workers, tripartite regulatory mechanisms for grievance redress, pricing and monitoring, occupational safety and health, rights of women, employment and social security of workers, trade union rights, regulation of uneven competition, and effective and meaningful campaign for the realization of the declaration.

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