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Plantation wage agreement on the horizon
View(s):A final meeting to solve the wage issues of plantation workers with the Prime Minister and all other stakeholders has been scheduled for next Friday, a cabinet minister said.
Tea plukers at an estate in Nuwara Eliya. Pic by Shelton Hettiarachchi
Minister of National Dialogue Mano Ganesan told the Sunday Times that the proposed meeting was a follow on from a meeting held on Thursday at Temple Trees where Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met representatives of plantation companies, trade unionists and political leaders to finalise the agreement between the trade unions and plantation companies.
“This would be the last meeting for the negotiations we have been having recently. The Prime Minister is certain to arrive at an agreement without affecting any other parties,” Mr. Ganesan said.
All the trade unions have been demanding the daily wage of a plantation worker be increased to Rs.1,000 but plantation companies refused to accept this drawing attention to the recent losses in tea markets worldwide.
Seven months after the discussions on wages of workers lapsed without any decision the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations came on the scene suggesting that Rs.770 would be reasonable for both parties to accept.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Wickremesinghe agreed to give an advance bonus of Rs. 10,000 to all the workers in the plantation sector in view of the Deepavali celebrations.