No deal on Rs.1000 bench mark for plantation workers

By Easwaran Rutnam   

Plantation companies and the Government have failed to reach an agreement to pay Rs.1000 as a daily wage to plantation workers. 

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had proposed in the 2021 Budget that the daily wage be increased to Rs.1000 from January this year.   

However, plantation companies have on Friday proposed a fixed wage of Rs. 700 a day and other productivity and attendance incentives.   

Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) Vice President Senthil Thondaman told Daily Mirror that the proposal made by the plantation companies cannot be accepted.   

Thondaman said that the wage proposal made by plantation companies is based on probabilities and is not fixed.   
He said that the CWC has met the Minster of Labour Nimal Siripala de Silva and demanded that the matter be placed before the Wages Board.   

Plantation companies said the proposed fixed daily wage model will be implemented 3 days a week, and on the remaining days, Regional Plantation Companies (RPC) have called for one of two productivity-based models to be implemented based on how suitable they would be to each RPC’s unique capacity.   

“They don’t understand what a wage increase is. They are trying to act too smart. We strongly oppose their proposal,” Senthil Thondaman said.   

He insisted that the wage increase must be fixed and cannot be based on productivity or incentives. 

• CWC has met the Minster of Labour Nimal Siripala de Silva and demanded that the matter be placed before the Wages Board