(UTV | COLOMBO) – The Ceylon Workers’ Red Flag Union claims that plantation companies have imposed unreasonable conditions to pay the Rs. 1,000.
The Ceylon Workers’ Red Flag Union claims that plantation companies have imposed unreasonable conditions to pay the Rs. 1,000 daily wage to estate workers.
Speaking at a media briefing held in Kandy, Treasurer of the Association Anandi Sivasubramanian said following the proposal to increase the daily wage of plantation workers to Rs. 1,000, the Sri Lanka Tea Factory Owners Association had announced that it had decided to withdraw from the collective agreement reached with workers which was in place for 20 years.
She said subsequently, the factory owners have been taking arbitrary decisions.
The Treasurer of the Association said owners have demanded they must bring between 25 and 30 kilograms of tea leaves a day in order to pay a daily wage of Rs. 1,000.
She noted that plucking such a large number of tea leaves daily is not a practical task since the tea estates have not been maintained properly for years.
Accordingly, workers are receiving only between Rs. 500 to Rs. 800 as daily wage. She also accused the owners of suppressing union activities and said unions are not even allowed to hold discussions at present.