Ethical teas and worker welfare

NUWARA ELIYA - Pedro estate in this traditional tea-growing town in the central hills must surely be the only plantation in Sri Lanka that has a family health worker, certified and trained in the body and mind development of children technically called "Denver Development."

B.P.D. Padmakanthi, also a midwife, got the Denver Development certification during a national training programme in 2006. On the same estate, K.A.P.K. Perera is the estate medical practitioner certified in community medicine from the Colombo North Medical College and also health and occupational safety from the Colombo Medical College.

The health facility at this estate, part of the Kelani Valley Plantations Ltd (KVPL) of the Hayleys Group, is not the only sector which is uptodate in its welfare programmes for the workers. There are vocational training workshops for estate youth - even if they don't work on the estate -, eye and cataract camps mostly for the elderly, early childhood programmes, family planning clinics, guided tours to the city, worker cooperatives, among others.

Little wonder then that the plantation company recently won global recognition as the first ethical tea manufacturer in the world. The group works closely with trade unions and NGOs who have all helped to improve worker welfare.

Ethical
In March this year, Kelani Valley Plantations and its associate Mabroc achieved important recognition by the UN Global Compact (GC), for the world's first "ethical tea", embracing and, through its packaging, publicizing the principles espoused by the GC. The Hayleys Group received a plaque for a programme in which it will insert a Global Compact flier in every tea pack and devote US$ 0.5 cents per sale to housing for the workers on its plantations.

During a recent 2-day tour across the group's Hatton and Nuwara Eliya estates, accompanied by KVPL senior management, The Sunday Times FT learnt about the group's varied activities in social welfare and community development while producing some of the best teas in the world - and working alongside unions and other groups.

Suthesh Balasubramanian, KVPL General Manager in charge of Business Development, during a relaxed evening at one of their picturesque bungalows - after a long day on the field --, explained the ethical tea concept and adhering to the 10 UN principles that KVPL has stoutly vowed to follow.

"These principles deal with human rights, labour, preserving the environment, anti corruption among others and we have to send a report to the GC every year on the progress towards achieving these objectives," he said adding that KVPL and its parent Hayleys have given a "strong message to the world on the ethical tea brand in world."

The company said its 'field to shelf' (meaning the process of growing and plucking the tea leaf, processing, packaging, export and selling it on overseas food shelves) process ensures KVPL produces the 'purest tea in the world.' "We promise a 'home' for every worker meaning that apart from the house, making sure the environment is safe and comfortable to live in," he said, noting that since the world-wide launch of the ethical tea brand, many NGOs are interested in working with KVPL to provide worker welfare facilities.
The tea packs come in five languages - Japanese, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese and English.

According to Mohan Ganapathy, a veteran tea planter and General Manager (Upcountry Estates) at KVPL, the caring part of the company is best described as; "When they are born we are there to help; and in death with are with them." At Pedro Estate in Nuwara Eliya, Johann Arjuna Rodrigo, Senior Group Manager, Nuwara Eliya and Ranga Gunasekera, Senior Manager, Nuwara Eliya explained the various stages of development of the social welfare structure and how it is tied to productivity and worker development.

The KVPL estates are HACCP and ISO 22000 certified. At Pedro, one of the highest points for a tea factory, there is a comfortable training centre located at the top of the factory. It probably was an attic but now looks a fully-equipped training centre without air-conditioning ofcourse! Who needs an AC in the cool climes of the hills, anyway!

Among the courses in which even youth from the village are invited to attend are medical-related, refresher worker courses, vocational training, customised programmes on carpentry, masonry and plumbing. Many of these are done in partnership with NGOs.

Training is also provided for operating motorised blowers, pruning machines and housekeeping. One of the biggest programmes KVPL organised was a Cataract clinic on Ingestre estate. Some 150 mostly elderly people - who didn't realise they couldn't see in one eye because the other was working perfectly - discovered their weakness only at the clinic. An NGO called IRIS then sponsored the surgery for these patients at the Kandy Hospital, leading to a full recovery.

Another programme is the annual clinic by 20-25 Korean doctors who organise a 2-day health camp for some 3,000 workers and others from nearby villages. The annual ritual is at little cost to the company as the Korean doctors' services are voluntary.

Bank
Near the Pedro Group office is the Cooperative Society Bank run efficiently by a management-cum-worker committee. Incentives are given to workers who get credit on goods purchased at the local store based on the number of workdays completed. Senior Group Manager Rodrigo said plans are afoot to install an IT lab on the lines of the ICTA's 'Nanasala' (IT centre in villages) programme. Four computers are to be installed with a satellite dish connected to the state-run Plantation Housing & Development Trust (PHDA) office in Colombo at a cost of Rs 3 million under a pilot project.

"We are one of seven pilot projects in IT which would offer workers and their families' 24-hour access to Internet and information of weather and other developments," he said. At the Cooperative Bank, H.M. Ranjith, 38 years and with two children, says he has come to help in committee work at the bank. Ms P.G. Sunethra, 33, is also a worker who volunteers at the bank but says - like many children of workers - her 13-year old daughter wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

Jobs unattractive
Attracting new workers to the estate sector is a growing problem unlike the days gone by when children of workers automatically got drawn into the system. In recent years with advancements in education and access to education particularly after the economy was liberalised young people are looking at other employment opportunities and moving away from estate work.

Senior Manager Gunasekera says all workers estate are asked to deposit Rs 100 every month from their salary. Some deposit Rs 500 and even Rs 1000 a month. They are entitled to 7 1/2 % interest on their savings and 8 ½ % on children's savings scheme. Loans are provided for housing, girls reaching puberty celebrations or weddings. The 'attaining age' event is a big occasion on estates and mothers would print cards for a celebration that turns in 2 to 3 days of partying. Loans of a maximum of Rs 15,000 are given to a worker per year. The society bank has set up a cement block making machine as an enterprise and ploughs the profits back to the community.

For those who get a rare glimpse of the estate worker and their surroundings, it's not the same anymore. Many workers have mobile phones with video/picture facilities; some even have cable TV and 2-storey houses that are rented out during the April season. At Pedro, Public Health worker Padmakanthi and Estate Medical Practitioner Perera reflect on their work and how much benefits have accrued to the community through the numerous heatlth services on offer.

Perera says among the programmes are ones on HIV/AIDS awareness while life-skills training is provided for pregnant women. Padmakanthi, shows the charts at the Mahagastotte Hospital and explains how they have been able to stop what is called "Line-room deliveries'. All deliveries are now at the fully-equipped town hospital.

The estate has a low-birth rate record with family planning being practiced by workers. Maternal mortality rates are zero. Neat charts on the walls of the medical centre explain the progress, developments and other health-related aspects of the workforce.

Creche
D. Ramakrishna, the Hatton Group Senior Manager, takes us around the creche that can cater to 115 children. It has a teacher and an assistant. Growth monitoring charts on the wall reflects the work done here in addition to teaching the kids. The 'cradle' section has 15 toddlers, whose mothers come from the fields and feed them at 10.30 am and thereafter,

Among other facilities here are the Well baby clinic, Well Woman clinic, ante natal clinic, immunication, family planning and explaining condom use. Officials here say condoms are not popular as a family planning method because "they are not quickly available when the need arises."

To tackle this problem, Ramakrishna says they are discussed with the Family Planning Association on the prospects of installing two condom vending machines on the estate. Another project which officials say 'shows how we care' is the ILO programme tackling school dropouts. "We found that about 270 children had dropped out in the year 5-14 grades. With the help of the ILO we organised catch-up education classes in the afternoon and absorbed them back to school," said Ramakrishna.

Another set of young girls and boys who were aimless and loitering around was also tackled by the estate teaching them skills like sewing, bridal work, pottery, saree painting, etc. "It didn't matter whether they are keen on estate jobs or not; many are not. But we want to wean them away from an uncertain future and trouble and provide them training in a vocation," he said.

In this estate, the IT centre or Nanasala didn't work for the adults and instead that model has been transferred to school to attract children to computer studies and information gathering.

Postman for the workers
Another milestone at Ingestre was when it was picked as part of a pilot project of the state to provide each worker with a postbox and house number - for the first time ever in the history of the plantation sector. "They even have their name on the house and the postman delivers letters - a right never held before-," said Ramakrishna.

Normally workers have to collect any letters sent to them from the estate office. This development and right enjoyed by the rest of Sri Lanka comes at a time when there are 65 women from the estate who have gone abroad as domestics. Their letters from the Middle East are now delivered straight to the homes of their families.

Welfare for estate workers has undergone radical change for the better. It may not be the case in all plantations in Sri Lanka but the situation is improving with estates desperate to attract youngsters seeking other 'white collar' and more dignified jobs, and the need also to retain the staff.

Apart from that the call for good working conditions and satisfactory wage levels is what consumers in the west are constantly looking at in the products they buy from developing countries.

With its eye on the future and also because it says it sincerely believes in what it does, the Kelani Valley Plantations is showing the way on how Ceylon Tea can retain its allure on the world stage!