RP group estates recognised for fair practices

Two estates owned and managed by the Richard Pieris Group received the prestigious FLO Certification from Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) in Germany, recently.

Tea estates of the ‘RP’ group.

The estates that obtained this internationally recognized certificate are, Strathspey and Brunswick in Maskeliya. They join the Koslanda organic tea plantation, an ISO 14001 certified estate also managed by the group that received this certification in 1996 and was one of the first estates in Sri Lanka to receive this recognition.

The group said in a statement that this certification is issued by FLO for various production sectors and agriculture is one of them. Stringent quality management and operational requirements are laid down by the FLO for estates that aspire to obtain this certification. Some such requirements are adherence to generic fair trade standards for hired labour and social development, empowering the workers and contribution to social welfare, maintaining occupational health, safety and environmental standards, economic development and environmental protection.

Some other requirements are fair salary and remuneration structures, employee participation in management of the estate and suitable living conditions for employees. “Overall, the FLO expects the estate management to build and maintain cordial and ethical business relations with its stakeholders,” the statement said.

Two other estates that come under Maskeliya Plantations Ltd -- Laxapana and Craig -- are also in the process of getting certified by FLO. Some of the most well-known and highly patronized plantations in Sri Lanka such as Maskeliya, Namunukula and Kegalle come under the purview of Richard Pieris Group making it the largest plantation management company in the country, with an employee cadre exceeding 25,000 workers.