Call to raise estate worker wages

Daily wages must be increased to keep up with the rising cost of living:

Mohammed NAALIR

Daily wages of the estate workers must be increased in keeping with the rising cost of living, All Ceylon Estate Workers Union president and Parliamentarian Ramalingam Chandrasekaran said.

The wage increment is important at a time when the estate workers living below the poverty line are facing immense difficulties.

They are demanding to increase the daily wage to Rs. 500 to meet their daily expenses. The prices of essential commodities including rice, sugar, dhal and wheat flour have gone up. Employers did not increase the wages according to the price increase of essential commodities.

The collective agreement signed with the companies expires in March but relevant parties did not take any steps to renew the agreement or to negotiate with estate workers,Chandrasekaran added.

He noted that the daily wages of the estate workers increased to Rs. 200 in 2006.

They were given an additional Rs. 90 allowance with their basic wage but no increment was given to them upto date.

The authorities must take action to increase the daily wages of the estate workers, he added.