RPCs, TUs to meet Wages Board on Monday
File picture of a tea smallholder who is not burdened with the worker crisis faced by RPCs.
In an attempt to exert pressure on the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs), the estate worker trade unions resorted to a token strike on Friday insisting their wages be increased to Rs.1000 per day.
CWC Leader Jeevan Thondaman told the Business Times on Friday that, “this is a wage increment as such the basic wage should be increased.”
He noted that this strike action was taken against the RPCs since they “don’t seem to budge on the pressure of the government” pointing out that the companies have also called for a change in the terms of the agreement.
Commenting on the discussions held with Labour Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva and the RPCs the previous week, Mr. Thondaman explained, “We felt it was unfair since they want to make a meagre Rs.25 increase and the companies wanted to increase the norm by 2 kg on every estate.” In addition, he noted that the RPCs had indicated that they would want to extend the Collective Agreement to four years from the present two years.
He was critical of the outgrower model and insisted that workers are not being registered and pointed out that the crisis on the plantations is not clearly understood by the people of the urban areas.
Mr. Thondaman believes they have already proved to the companies that they can exert pressure on them and awaited the meeting at the Wages Board scheduled for Monday.
He however noted that he was not aware of India’s Adani Group being invited to run the RPCs by buying over some of the companies.
Meanwhile former Planters Association Chairman and Hayleys Plantations Managing Director Roshan Rajadurai said that Friday’s strike will reduce the losses they are currently making, implying that this was because the companies would save on one day’s wages..
He noted that with cost of production at Rs.800 and the prices at the auctions reaching around Rs.581 since last December they would be have to meet certain expenses in paying the wages bill that reaches Rs.15 billion in this highly labour intensive sector.
Mr. Rajadurai pointed out that it was necessary to increase the amount of work else there would be no way in which they could make any further payment without achieving productivity.
The RPCs had reached agreement with the minister last week to pay estate workers Rs.725 including Price Share Supplement of Rs.50 and another Rs.225 as Attendance Incentive and Productivity Incentive that amounted to Rs.1000 according to the current model they are working on.
He also pointed out that those willing to purchase the plantation companies would have to buy their shares on the stock exchange as most are listed firms.