President's move timely: CWC

COLOMBO: The Ceylon Workers' Congress yesterday welcomed President Mahinda Rajapaksa's decision to extend his support to the Ceylon Workers' Congress' efforts to increase the plantation workers wages in the rubber and tea growing manufacturing trades to a monthly minium wage of Rs. 5,000.

The CWC wrote to the Employers' Federation of Ceylon in July calling upon the Plantation Companies to match the minimum wage granted to workers in 31 Trades governed by the Wages Boards. On the initiative of the Government, wages of workers in 31 Wages Boards were revised to a minimum of Rs. 5,000 per month.

On August 23, a delegation of the Ceylon Workers' Congress led by Arumugan Thondaman MP met Labour Relations and Manpower Minister Athauda Seneviratne and urged him to assist in this matter. He suggested that since this trade was governed by Collective Agreements, attempts should first be made to discuss the matter with the Employers.

The Ceylon Workers Congress and the Joint Plantation Trade Union Centre met the Employers Federation on August 24 and demanded that the basic salary of Rs. 170 granted to planation workers be increased to Rs. 200 per day so that they receive Rs 5,000 per month working 25 days.

The Price Share Supplement and Attendance Incentive totalling to Rs. 90 will remain as they do not constitute a wage under the law.

Following these initiatives the President has requested the Labour Relations and Manpower Minister to obtain the salary increase by discussing with the employers. This positive move of the President is timely and welcome the CWC said.