Workers’ collective agreement to be signed soon

by P. Krishnaswamy

Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) President and Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Muthu Sivalingam told the Sunday Observer that their fifth round of talks with the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) on Tuesday made considerable headway towards signing a fresh Collective Agreement over the wage increase for workers and added that they were optimistic of striking a deal at the next round of talks.

Some isolated incidents of picketing by workers had been reported but these had not affected crop production or caused any other damage.

All contentious issues on reaching an agreement over a reasonable wage increase for workers have now been resolved and the signing of the Collective Agreement could take place soon, he said. The Unions were confident that the workers’ protests will not go out of hand this time around, unlike on the previous occasion.

The CWC, the Lanka Jathika Estate Workers’ Union (LJEWU) and the Joint Plantation Trade Union Centre (JPTUC) are negotiating a new biennial Collective Agreement with the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC), representing the 22 plantation management companies, after the expiry of the last agreement on March 31 this year. TU sources said that their demand was for an increase of a basic wage to Rs. 500 doing away with other components to the wage increase incorporated in the last agreement but both unions and the management have now stepped down from their previous stand in an effort to reach a settlement.