Estate strike: Plantation companies say won't go beyond last offer

Regional Plantation Companies (RPC’s) say their representatives will no longer sit in negotiations with representatives of estate sector trade unions after death threats were allegedly leveled at senior officials of plantation companies. 

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By Sandun Jayawardana

Regional Plantation Companies (RPC’s) say their representatives will no longer sit in negotiations with representatives of estate sector trade unions after death threats were allegedly leveled at senior officials of plantation companies. 

The announcement came in a media briefing held this afternoon by the Planters’ Association of Ceylon which represents the business interests of the 22 Regional Plantation Companies (RPC’s). 

Accordingly, all further negotiations to resolve the estate sector wage dispute will be held between trade unions and the Employers' Federation of Ceylon, Roshan Rajadurai, Chairman EFC Plns Services told the media. CEOs and other senior officers of plantation companies, who are on the Employer's Federation committee that negotiates with the trade unions, have now withdrawn owing to the threats made against them, he noted. 

Speaking further at the media briefing, Mr Rajadurai said the RPCs remain firm on the decision to stand by their earlier offer of a 20 percent daily wage hike, which would increase an estate worker's daily wage from Rs 500 to Rs 600.  In addition, the association also proposes a 33% increase in the Attendance Incentive up to Rs. 80 plus the Productivity Incentive and Price Share Supplement, totaling to Rs. 940 per day, which it claims will amount to an average increase of Rs. 3375 a month per worker.

Estate sector trade unions have launched an indefinite strike demanding the daily wage of an estate worker be increased from Rs 500 to Rs. 1000. The strike entered its seventh day today and according to the PA, is causing a revenue loss of Rs. 250 million a day, with a week's revenue loss coming to Rs.1.25 billion. 

"What the unions are completely beyond us. We simply can't afford it," Mr Rajadurai insisted. 

The association also reiterated that the current wage model was unsustainable and called for all sides to work together to adopt a productivity based wage model. 

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