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Little or no benefits from subscribing to unions, money spent on functions
View(s):Despite estate workers paying subscriptions to trade unions on a monthly basis, the benefits to contributors are low, the Sunday Times investigation revealed.
All major trade unions receive a monthly subscription varying from Rs100-350 from each employee.
Trade union representatives say they spend the subscription money for their functions, May Day rallies, to maintain offices, pay their office employees, and appear for labour tribunal cases, transportation costs and welfare activities.
Among those unions collecting subscriptions are; Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Upcountry Workers Union, National Workers Union, Lanka Estate Workers Industrial Union as well as Communist Party affiliated Plantation Workers Union.
The subscription from salaries are deducted by the estates and sent to respective unions according to an understanding.
President of the Upcountry Workers Union, MP V Radhakrishnan explained that all major estate workers’ unions, including his union, deduct a subscription from the workers.
He explained that his union would charge Rs300 from an estate worker provided that he obtains a Rs 1,000 daily wage. The worker subscription would be deducted according to wages.
According to Mr Radhakrishnan, their union engages in labour tribunal cases, meetings, managing union officers, paying staff and
welfare activities.
He said it is not necessary to provide a receipt to the plantation workers who contribute a subscription.
Meanwhile, General Secretary of the Lanka Estate and Industrial Workers Union, Chamara Nanayakkara said that welfare matters are not being covered by plantation unions despite subscriptions being collected.
He added that their union, which takes the least amount of monthly subscription of Rs100, is incapable of looking into welfare matters as they use the subscription money to appear at labour tribunal cases on behalf of their members.
A cross section of estate workers said they are unaware what the estate worker unions are doing with the money deducted from their salaries as subscriptions.
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