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Too many cooks could put estate workers in a soup: CWC
The JVP affiliated All Ceylon Estate Workers Union which had vociferously taken up the issue of a pay hike for tea and rubber estate workers yesterday took a snipe at the CWC for not representing the rights of the estate workers adequately enough.

"It is the ACEWU which has been nagging the Estate Employers Federation for months on end trying to get them to speak to us regarding the salary issue.

“We are looking at a pay hike, which will be as high as possible for both rubber and tea estate workers. This could be upto three hundred rupees a month but there has been no confirmation as yet. We clearly see a lack of interest on the part of the CWC", ACEWU president and JVP parliamentarian Ramalingham Chandrasekaran told The Sunday Times.

Meanwhile the CWC, which was getting used to co-exist with the JVP in the current political framework, took a shot at the JVP union 'for getting involved in matters it does not understand'.

T. Yogarajan of the CWC blamed 'all sorts of people who have come into the picture' for the failure of talks between the Estate Employers Federation and the Trade Unions on Thursday and said the CWC would pursue matters with the federation despite the failure of Thursday's talks.

However he stated that his party did not see the talks being revived immediately. "We want parties who claim to be fighting for the rights of the estate community to take responsibility for their action. It is getting difficult for us to come to an understanding with the Estate Employers Federation as there are so many people getting involved"; Mr. Yogarajan said avoiding naming the JVP directly.

The latest meeting with the Employers Federation broke down without confirmation of another date but Employers Federation Vice President Ravi Peiris when contacted said they had not shelved the issue.

"The talks were cordial and we will respond to all parties who are interested in the welfare of the estate workers", Mr. Peiris said referring to the meeting held with the CWC union, the Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union and the Joint Plantation Estate Workers Union (which was represented by the JVP).

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