Plantation TUs, EFC sign fresh collective agreement

Rasika SOMARATHNA

A fresh collective agreement was signed between the plantation sector trade unions and the Employers Federation Ceylon (EFC) yesterday under which estate workers would get a daily wage of Rs. 405.

EFC Chairman Lalith Obeysekera later handed over the new agreement to Labour Relations and Manpower Minister Athauda Seneviratne in order to include it in the Gazette. Both the EFC and the countries largest plantation union, the Ceylon Workers Congress yesterday claimed that work in the estate sector would return to normal from today onwards. Meanwhile, authorities claimed that this go-slow campaign by plantation workers demanding a wage hike had cost the national economy over Rs. 1 billion.

The last collective agreement between the two parties was signed in 2006, under which the total wage package of a plantation worker was Rs 260 per day. Later it was increased to Rs. 290.

Thus negotiations were on regarding a new wage structure since the expiry of the last collective agreement on March 31 this year.

Eight rounds of talks had been held where the EFC had first offered 12.5 per cent increase. Later it raised the wage to Rs. 330 and then to Rs. 360.

The final offer of Rs. 405 came on Saturday on which both sides agreed.

The daily wage of a plantation worker in 1992 was around Rs. 60. In 1998 when the first collective agreement was signed between the EFC and the three trade unions the wage package was Rs. 101 per day.