National plan needed to develop tea industry - LJEWU, Gen Secy

by P.Krishnaswamy

Leaders of the three UPFA allies representing the plantation community - the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC), the National Union of Workers ( NUW) and the Upcountry People's Front (UPF) – expressing contentment over the increase in membership to their community in the Central Provincial Council said it is a clear indication of political awareness among the estate workers.

Muthu Sivalingam

CWC President and Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, Muthu Sivalingam, UPF political leader K.Radhakrishnan MP and national organiser of the NUW S.Sridaran, a newly elected PC member spoke to the Sunday Observer. Eight CWC members, three NUW members and one UPF member were elected to the Central PC at the September 21 polls. The party leaders said while strengthening the hands of the Government, they would make good of the polls results to request the government to implement programs for the economic uplift and social welfare of the plantation community. They would also persuade the government to ensure the sustainability of the tea industry which is now in an unstable state , they said.

Excerpts of their interviews

CWC President Muthu Sivaligam : “ The polls results have proved that the thinking pattern among the plantation people have changed and there is political awareness among them.

The general belief that the estate workers only vote for the ‘ elephant symbol’ has also been proved incorrect. The credit goes to President Mahinda Rajapaksa who implemented multifarious programs for the socio-economic uplift of the plantation workers and the able leadership of CWC leader Minister Arumugan Thondaman,

” The President said at meetings in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya that the line room system would be done away with, the estate workers will be given equal political status , the estates will be transformed as villages and they will be given priority in the allotment of lands . The workers have given their overwhelming mandate to the President's sincere commitment towards their welfare.

“ The tea industry has remained the regular and important foreign exchange earner. The apparel industry and other foreign exchange earners have only been transient. As such, the sustainability of the industry has to be ensured.

The work environment has to be modernised, with the provision of uniforms, latest technologies , change in working hours, proper housing and other facilities.

“ With regard to the tea industry the small holder system and out-grower system have failed in many countries. The industry has a history of over 180 years and it was maintained by large companies. In about another 30 years the lease period of the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) will be over and the estates will be in the hands of the government . Taking this into consideration, we will request the Government to take appropriate steps for the long-term sustainability of the industry and for the livelihood of the estate workers. “

K.Radhakrishnan

The UPF political leader K.Radhakrishnan MP : “ It is a matter for contentment and appreciation that the upcountry Tamils’ representation in the Central PC has increased. The workers’ have voted taking into account their future welfare. Consequently the bargaining power of the political parties representing them has also increased. “ They need proper housing, infrastructure and other facilities.

They do not get work on a regular basis, resulting in less pay. Besides, the workers feel inferior to the other communities and generally dislike the working environment in the estates.

So the industry and the working environment should be modernised and the important role that the workers play should be recognised. There should be targets set every year for the construction of houses for them so that they will be rid of the line-room living quarters soon.

“ They should be given housing loans of at least Rs.6 lakhs for the construction of houses. This proposal which I put forward did not materialise because the management companies opposed it. Unless these facilities are provided to them it will be difficult to retain them in the estates. There is a growing tendency among them to leave the estates and settle down in urban areas. Already there is a labour shortage in the estates. The situation is not so bad in the estates in the Nuwara Eliya and Badulla areas managed by the RPCs. But it is very bad in the Kandy and Matale areas where many estates, mostly managed by the Janatha Estates Development Board (JEDB) and the State Plantations Corporation (SPC), remain neglected with tea lands systematically becoming jungles. The Government should take steps to arrest this trend.

“Over two million people live on the tea industry. There are banks and many towns and urban areas that depend on the income from the industry. I believe that the out-grower system is not workable. The Government should take steps to protect the industry.”

The NUW national organiser and Central PC member S.Sridaran : “ All three candidates fielded by the NUW have won in the Nuwara Eliya district. It means the workers endorse our policies. There are many issues which the NUW will take up .

T. Thikambaram

The estate workers should be given more facilities. They should be given wages in keeping with the rising cost of living. The trade unions that sign the Collective Agreement (CA) do not consult other trade unions of the plantation people. They take decisions arbitrarily. Re-planting in the estates should be encouraged to ensure the sustainability of the industry. The estate management companies should not focus their attention on profits only. “

The General Secretary of the pro-UNP Lanka Jathika Estate Workers’ Union (LJEWU) and Uva PC member K.Velautham said their party welcomed the increase in representation in the Central PC on behalf of the plantation community.

The tea industry has remained the stable foreign exchange earner and, therefore, the Government should take steps to ensure the sustainability of the industry. Continuous heavy rains experienced in the Nuwara Eliya and Kandy districts have greatly affected tea production in the two districts but the Government has not extended any relief assistance, he said. A national plan should be implemented to develop the tea industry and to ensure the livelihood of the estate workers, he said.

Democratic People's Congress (DPF) leader Mano Ganeshan who fielded candidates on the UNP ticket in the Central PC polls and won one seat in the Kandy district said they welcomed the increase in the PC membership on behalf of the estate workers. The tea plantation industry is now in a precarious state and will last only 10 more years unless the Government did something to change the deteriorating trend, he said. The plantation management companies seem to be interested only in profits and not in the long-term sustainability of the industry.

The Government also does not seem to be interested in the future of the industry which has remained the main source of foreign exchange for many decades, he said. The bitter fact is that the younger generation of the plantation community is not inclined to work in the estates because they dislike the working environment, Ganeshan said. The industry and the working environment have to be modernised . The trade unions that are signatories to the CA are not guided by any progressive thinking, he said.