No legal obstacle to use state funds to pay estate workers’ incentives: Vijitha

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera 

Claiming that no legal bearing of opposition claims on allocating state funds for the payment of estate workers’ attendance allowance, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said yesterday Rs. 5,000 million was allocated to the Plantations Ministry and not to increase wages of workers in a private company. 

Speaking during the budget debate, the Minister told parliament that the Plantations Ministry has powers, capacity and legal basis to use funds allocated to the Ministry to use for development of the plantations sector. 

“There is no legal obstacle for that. It cannot be challenged even at the Supreme Court. Such allocations are usually made by the Ministries. Even Aswesuma allowance is paid by the tax money,” he said. 

He said some opposition MPs have confused it, adding that it is shameful for opposition MPs to oppose the proposal to increase wages of estate workers. 

The Minister said previous governments hoodwinked the estate workers over the years by promising to increase their wages.