Meeting ambitions of young estate workers

The estate community has a new vision - to be treated not as labourers but as stakeholders in an industry that recognizes and appreciates the dignity of labour and the professionalism it entails.

With this forward thinking and farsighted approach rejuvenating the plantation sector, strategies are in progress to attract the children of estate workers who were once reluctant to follow their parents’ footsteps, to seek the profession of their forefathers once again.

The plantation sector had been, in the recent past experiencing a problem of an ageing and declining labour force with the younger generation migrating to white collar jobs and other employment opportunities. This is in spite of plantations offering even more than the stipulated number of 300 days a year to the workers.

Only about 60% make use of this lucrative opportunity by coming to work regularly. The reduced inflow of skilled workers has been impacting negatively on labour productivity, compounded with frequent government-influenced wage hikes.

The Regional Plantation Companies that manage the tea plantations give first preference to competence when engaging the next generation of estate workers.

This has paved the way for the more ambitious and dedicated individuals to succeed in gaining entry into higher positions in the estates.

Over a 1,000 children of estate workers have been appointed to staff positions since the plantation companies were privatized in 1992, in addition to some 725 children of staff members across the 20 plantation companies who have secured similar appointments.

Training workshop

Considerable effort is made by the plantation companies to improve the skills of plantation workers through in situ training and special training workshops and this has paid rich dividends, not only by improving competencies that lead to higher productivity and efficiencies, but also uplifting the lifestyle of the estate worker community.

The training is conducted with the assistance of trainers from external organizations such as Sri Lanka Business Development Centre, the Productivity Secretariat, the Department of Labour and several Non-Governmental Organizations such as World University Services of Canada that offer the required knowledge and skills.

SLBDC’s Outward Bound training programme has already conducted innovative, semi-adventurous course modules for the estate workers in more than 17 privatized estates, designed not only to improve the workers competencies on the field, but also their team-working ability as well as their own life skills, building self confidence and self-worth. Subjects covered included nutrition, household cash and asset management, environmental concerns and land productivity.

Even sensitive topics such as alcoholism were covered. The sessions had very positive feedback from the participants who were able to look at their lives from a different perspective. Pusana is a Thalaiver at a RPC estate and his wife is a plucker.

They have 3 children. Both participated in team building exercises and were amazed at the end of a 2-day programme. “I feel like a new person” Pusana said, after readily absorbing concepts such as participatory management, quality circles, management of change and gender issues of sharing responsibilities.

A better life style

Apart from training, estate workers of today face a lifestyle that is quite different to the popular myth that they are under privileged. In reality, compared to the rest of population, the estate community is able to enjoy a higher degree of welfare facilities.

The health and nutrition standards available to the average tea estate worker is far better than that of a rural villager with the estate worker’s per capita daily energy intake being on par with FAO recommended standards and the national average for Sri Lanka.

Maternal care is closely monitored to ensure a healthy baby, with excellent pre-natal and ante-natal care within the estates, regularly visited by a DMO and government midwife.

Almost all the children are born in institutions and receive vaccinations against all childhood diseases while lactating mothers get vitamins and nutrition.

80% of the children receive their education in estate schools.

Housing, clothing, education, transport, fuel, electricity and recreation costs a family 30% of their income while at a national level, this is as high as 45%.

Estate workers have easy access to medical care within the estate and only 6% seek hospital treatment.

In fact, the cash wages paid is the highest in the world’s tea industry and in addition they get close to 45% more as non-wage benefits and allowances.

The rate of increase in wages for tea estate workers between 1995 and 2007 was 403% and such a phenomenal increase did not take place anywhere else in the world.

What is most significant is that when the wage of an estate worker is increased by Rs. 1, the wage bill alone increases by Rs. 50 million for the Regional Plantation Companies in addition to statutory benefits such as EPF, ETF and gratuity.

The ‘womb to tomb’ care the estate community enjoys however is not always appreciated by the workers. Sri Lanka’s tea plantations are the only employer in the world that nurtures the well-being not only of its employee but also his entire family. Only 25% of the total population living within RPC estates are workers. The rest are dependents.

Even that 25% does not adequately make use of the lucrative opportunities offered, preferring instead to seek employment outside while enjoying the welfare available, placing severe pressure on these facilities.

The actual picture is that far from being overworked, undernourished and impoverished, the average tea estate worker of today leads a far better lifestyle than the average rural villager in Sri Lanka.

Now, in order to lure them back into working in the plantations and help the nation to maintain its competitive edge as the world’s leader in tea, the plantation management is offering them the dignity and professionalism that goes hand in hand with a hard day’s honest work on our undulating tea gardens.