Labourers now ‘technicians’ at Lalan estate

by Ananda Agalakada and Priyadharshani Kahawala, Ingiriya Central Group Cor.

A Labourer is the backbone of any country. The services of a labourer is as important as that of any other profession. From a Sri Lankan perspective a labourer is the salient force behind the economy, be it tea, rubber, coconut or foreign employment.

A rubber tree with rain guards to protect them during the rainy season

Latex collecting centre

Udabage Estate in Dereniyagala

However in a volatile world with changing priorities, new trade patterns, technology and a new world order what would be made of a labourer is an enigmatic puzzle. What is the future of the labourer? Who would guarantee the livelihood of a labourer? Who would nurture their families?

In this backdrop we unravel a different dimension of the lives of some labourers in a remote area that has opens new vistas to the lives of the poor and turned a new leaf in their lives.

The Udabage Estate in Dareniyagala has existed from the time of Colombo rule. Eventhough it was later taken over by the government under the nationalisation policy, it gradually took a turn to the worse. Now it is managed by Lalan Rubbers (Pvt) Ltd, Deraniyagala and has started to progress.

The Managing Director, Srinath Karunaratne of Lalan Estate manages it under the instruction of former Director Ashoka Nugawela.

The estate is 5,000 acres in extent and its officials give priority to the well-being of its employees, so much so that they had forgotten the term labourer. Now the employees are reborn as estate technicians.The technicians of the estate are dedicated and report for duty daily. They do not waste valuable time and discharge the responsibilities assigned to them. As one loves parents these employees foster the rubber trees at their disposal.

Although other estate workers are pessimistic about the future, it is not so with the employees of Lalan Rubber Estate. They are full of expectations.

Their children work in the office of the estate enthusiastically. They receive bonuses and welfare facilities as incentives for their interest in developing Lalan Estate.Lalan estate recognizes its responsibility to society too. Residents of Ailawatta and Kithulgala villages bordering Udabage faced problems in crossing the Kelani River for their daily chores.

The Lalan Estate introduced a flat-bottomed boat service for the people and repaired the roads in the adjacent villages.

The Tamil school at Udabage has been reserved for the children of the employees of Lalan Estate. The Principal F.S. Jeyagauri said, after twelve years a student (Abilashani) from his school had passed the Grade Five Scholarship Exam this year.

Lalan Esate has the welfare of its employees’ children at heart and set up schools as well as a dispensary for the benefit of the residents.

The doctor in the dispensary takes a keen interest in the activities of the estate and helps eradicate dengue from the area.

Four thousand workers live in the estate and 1,000 work as technicians. Some youth have sold their vehicles (three-wheelers) and joined Lalan Estate as technicians. Employees of Lalan Estate are paid approximately Rs. 25,000 as a monthly salary.

Officials of the estate introduced a new system to protect the rubber trees and obtain a better quantity of latex. The rubber trees with rain guards to protect them during the rainy season, and thereby get a better harvest.