Plantation workers move to urban areas
By P. Krishnaswamy
President of the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) and Deputy Minister
of Economic Development Muthu Sivalingam in an interview with the Sunday
Observer, gave his views on the long-term sustainability of the tea
industry, the Government's role towards the socio-economic improvement
of the plantation community and the CWC's plans for their future
welfare.

Muthu Sivalingam |
Excerpts of the interview:
Q: Your recent remarks that the tea plantations on its present
scale will last only another 10 years contradicts the views of prominent
people in the industry, including Tea Board Chairperson Dr.(Mrs) Janaki
Kuruppu, Member of the Board Jayantha Keragala and Planters’ Association
Chairperson Roshan Rajadurai. Can you please explain?
A: They are only looking at one side of it such as the recent
price increase in the world market and the increased productivity. But
there is another side. It is about retaining the workforce for another
10 years.
I have my doubts whether the Tamils of Indian origin who are working
on the estates will be there to work after 10 years. Already there is an
acute shortage of labour in the estates because no replacement is
available when workers retire and at least 10 percent of the workforce
is quitting the estates on an annual basis seeking greener pastures in
urban areas. They are not happy over their life in the estates on
account of the prevailing living conditions.
Even after two centuries of toiling in the estates there has been no
much change in their lives and they remain in a state of uncertainly
over their future and are economically and socially far behind the other
communities.
The tea production technology has changed much over the years but the
approach towards the welfare of the plantation community has not
changed. When the prices of the tea in the world market go up the wages
of workers also should naturally go up proportionately. But instead the
whole focus is only on promoting the industry and not on improving the
living conditions of the workers.
The CWC negotiated under trying circumstances for wage increase to
them under the biennial Collective Agreements. Even that came under
criticism from many rival trade unions (TUs), many of which recently
mushroomed. Unless there is a drastic change in the living conditions of
the plantation workers, it is unlikely that they will be there to work
after a number of years.
Q: What do you think should be done to bring about such a
situation?
A: An atmosphere where they will have an abiding interest in
the places of their domicile should be created. The other communities of
this country, the North-East Tamils, the Sinhalese or the Muslims, have
their permanent areas of domicile with houses, properties and an abiding
interest. It is not so in the case of the Indian origin plantation
community. The do not own the houses in which they live or the lands in
which they do vegetable gardening or dairy farming. The general claim is
that the lands either belong to the LRC or to the Regional Plantation
Companies (RPCs) which have them on long lease. For instance when we
tried to get a land released for a school building in Ratnapura, the
local politicians protested saying that it was earmarked for another
project.
We encounter similar problems while trying to acquire lands for the
plantation workers. To change the situation, the plantations should be
transformed as villages so that the workers will get all facilities
enjoyed by villagers. Our people have lived in these lands for nearly
200 years and at least 25 percent of these lands are already with them
by away of their living quarters, home garden plots, temples, schools
and even boutiques. But they do not, legally, belong to them.
Although much is being said about the tea small holdings contributing
a greater share towards tea production and export earnings, the fact
that it is the Indian origin Tamils who work there and contribute to
that is conveniently forgotten.
They do not get EPF, ETF or any other statutory benefits and they are
scared to speak about it lest they will lose their jobs. The green leaf
( bought leaf) at present is sold in the range of about Rs. 70. Prices
have been fluctuating over the years. If, for some reason or the other,
the price comes down to Rs. 30 or so, it is unlikely that the small
holders will continue with the tea industry. They will uproot the tea
bushes and plant other more profitable crops. But the plantation workers
will not do it because it has been their bread and butter all
throughout. Even with a reduced price for the green leaf they will
contribute to increase productivity.
An approach and procedural methods to gradually transform the
plantation estates into villages is a dire need of the day. The CWC has
held discussions on this with the Government and hope that this will
materialise under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The plantation workers are in the background of Sri Lanka retaining
the brand ‘Ceylon Tea' in the world market over the many decades.
They have a right to get on lease or even own estate lands to an
extent as may be deemed fit so that they can continue their traditional
profession. When they become owners/lessees of tea lands to an extent
that they can manage by themselves, they will work hard on it , which in
turn, will contribute towards increased productivity at lower costs. If
it is ensured that the tea factories owned by plantation companies or
private individuals are functional, the plantation people can sell their
products.
Q: You had also mentioned that only education will guarantee a
good future for the community. In what manner has the CWC contributed
towards their educational improvement?
A: In 1977 our founder leader Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman told
Parliament that he was the only elected member representing the
plantation community although there should have been 14 members
according to their population ratio.
His request to the then Head of the State, President J.R. Jayewardena
, for larger budget allocations for the educational uplift of the
plantation community was heeded.
Since then our significant role towards the educational progress of
our community has been continuing. We have seen much progress in the
educational field . Many new school buildings were constructed in the
plantation areas. Even today there is a shortage of teachers in schools
where the plantation children are studying. Our leader, Minister
Arumugan Thondaman, recently got Rs.195 Million released for introducing
improvements to the plantation education sector. When I was Minister of
Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development, I was able to
appoint over 3000 teachers exclusively from among the eligible
plantation youth. We recently held discussions with Education Minister
Hon. Bandula Gunawardana on the question of shortage of teachers and the
Ministry consequently obtained cabinet approval to appoint more teachers
to the schools in the plantation areas. Therefore, we as the oldest
party representing the community are very much concerned over the
educational uplift of the community and are working towards that as our
main focus. All estate schools were taken over by the Government and
they have been brought in par with other urban schools.
Q: President Mahinda Rajapaksa has reiterated on his
commitment towards the socio-economic welfare of the plantation
community and on doing away with the line-room quarters system. Your
comments please ?
A: The picture with regard to the housing problem of the
community is now changing. Houses with modern facilities are being built
for them in place of the centuries-old line-room quarters. President
Mahinda Rajapaksa has repeatedly reiterated on his commitment towards
changing the line-room system. He spoke on it even in some the CWC's
recent public meetings. He has insisted on the fact that eliminating the
line-room system will pave the way for an improved socio-economic life
of the workers. It is only during his rule that an amount of Rs.60,000/-
was disbursed to the workers for construction of houses. Today the
Government is giving them Rs.440,000/- for construction of houses. Of
this amount Rs.200,000 is an out right grant. Over 26,000 houses have
already been built under this scheme. The process of constructing houses
is moving at a slow pace because sections of the workers are not showing
a keen interest in building their own houses. They are reluctant to come
out of the line-room life although the President wants to see the change
very fast. Under the last budget the President provided for construction
of another 50,000 houses for them. Then again the rival unions, without
comprehending the significance of the decision , protested and made
adverse remarks saying they should be given independent houses and not
flat type of houses. The President's idea behind providing such
flat-type of houses is that they live on the estates , in the hills,
secluded and away from the towns , under adverse weather conditions.
Therefore the joint family system will be to their advantage. The
President only spoke of eliminating the line-room system and building
two-storey housing complexes. The ancestors of the workers lived as
joint families in India and even the ancestors of the Sinhalese lived as
joint families. So the flat-house system was proposed with all good
intentions but the protesting TUs want independent houses for the
workers. When our party leader Arumugan Thondaman was Minister of
Housing some such two-stortey houses were built in Vanarajah Estate,
Caldonia Estate, Mt.Vernon Estate and many other estates in the Dickoya
area.
Those are very convenient houses reflecting a much more civilised way
of living. The protesting TUs should go and see those houses to
understand as to what the President has meant. In any case, we have
informed the President on the need for convening a meeting of all TUs
and the concerned government authorities to discuss and sort out this
issue in the best interests of the workers.
Q: What is being done to empower the younger generation of the
community in IT and other technological aspects?
A: The CWC's Prajasakthi organisation, under the Thondaman
Foundation, has done much towards that. They never knew about the
computer some years ago. Even students of leading schools in the
plantation areas were not computer literate. Now it is different
altogether.
The Prajasakthi centers in the plantation towns and even in some
estates are imparting computer training and have distributed computers
to some children. Ranging from a kindergarten child to a GCE(AL)
student, everyone has the facility to receive free training at the many
number of Praja Sakthi institutes in every nook and corner of the
plantation areas.
There are plans in the pipeline to start 10 more institutes this year
too. Even small children in the plantations are now computer literate.
That is an achievement. |