Strike by estate workers backed by Hartal cripples upcountry

 Estate workers have launched a one-day strike supported by a hartal campaign in the upcountry demanding that the proposal to increase the daily wage of workers to Rs 1,000 be implemented.

The Ceylon Workers Congress,  a partner in the government has organised the strike with the support of other unions resulting in all work at estates in Nuwara Eliya, Hatton, Norwood and Maskeliya among other areas coming to a halt.

In support of the strike shops have been closed and transport has come to a standstill in several areas.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Vadivail Suresh said that it was significant that a party in the government itself has called for the strike  while their unions will be protesting from next week if the proposal is not implemented.

Wages of estate workers are usually paid between 8 and 10 every month and the workers are expecting the wage increase to come into effect next week.

Several trade unions are backing today’s strike. On Thursday they held a press conference in Hatton to express solidarity with those involved in the strike.

Sankara Manivannan, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Education and Social Federation commented, “We have come together to support the plantation workers' wage struggle. In it all the teachers' unions expressed their support and the Sinhala teachers' unions offered to support it because the issue of plantation workers' wages has become more of a social issue than just a wage issue. Companies have been constantly deceiving us. So as a teaching community we cannot just have fun looking at other areas in the country when an issue comes up and succeeds in dealing with that issue.”

General Secretary of the Teachers' Liberation Front SD Nathan said “We are proud to be cooperating with other trade unions in this struggle. Sinhala teachers, principals and academic staff have announced their cooperation. We welcome it. Therefore, we call on all principal teachers to declare sick leave and join this struggle.”

Ganapathy Kanagaraj, Vice President of the Ceylon Workers 'Congress and in-charge of the Teachers' Education Congress, said that today the teachers 'unions have come forward to support the issue of plantation workers' pay as a social issue.

Thalawakele private bus operators also have joined the srike in support of the estate workers.

( Pix by G. Krishanthan and P. Thiru Kethees)