Plantation workers denied festival advance

Protesters block Ratnapura-Kalawana main road:

Workers attached to the Agalawatta Plantation engaged in a protest yesterday after blocking the Ratnapura - Kalawana main road for hours demanding their salaries and festival advance to celebrate the Deepavali festival that falls on Tuesday.

Over one thousand estate workers from Kiribathgala, Dela, Dombagmmana and Dombagama participated in the protest demanding the festival advance as promised by their employers. Estate workers irrespective of their ethnicity took part in the protest.

They complained that though they were promised of their salaries and festival advance on Friday, they had to leave with broken hearts after waiting there until 6.00 p.m. on Friday.

The workers gathered opposite the rubber factory at Kiribathgala between Nivitigala and Dela.