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| Sunday, 30 October 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Dilan maps
out new deal for estate workers
by S.S. Warani
Proposals submitted by Colombo District UNP Parliamentarian T. Maheswaran to the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe have stirred upcountry trade unions and their political activities. He submitted 27 proposals with regard to Tamil people all over the country. There were eight on the plantation community. One of the proposals was that up country trade unions, a clear reference to the Ceylon Worker's Congress, should be banned from collecting subscriptions from the workers, which would be a blow, if implemented, to the Ceylon Worker's Congress, UNP's Lanka Jathika Estate Worker's Union and the Upcountry People's Front that support the Opposition Leader at the Presidential polls. Under the Collective Agreement signed between the CWC, LJEWU and the Employer's Federation, Rs.47.50 and Rs.40 is deducted respectively from the pay roll of an estate worker and sent to these trade unions monthly. The Upcountry People's Front collects Rs.30 and the Agricultural Plantation Worker's Congress's subscription is Rs.25, leaving estate worker with a pay packet of less than Rs. 1,500 a month. All these trade unions maintain offices in major plantation areas. If a ban is introduced it would affect all the trade unions which also function as political parties. Maheswaran had earlier challenged Arumugan Thondaman whether he was ready to contest against him in any parliamentary seat in the country. Thondaman did not take up the challenge. He alleged that a plantation leader had struck a 150 million-rupee deal with a major political party in exchange of his and his trade union's support. Some of the proposals that Maheswaran submitted to the Opposition Leader were not found in the 19 proposals that the CWC had put forward and accepted by the Opposition Leader. He had urged that a sum of Rs. 4,000 be paid to estate workers' family from the Samurdhi fund. A law should be promulgated to make compulsory education for estate children below 16 years and night schools opened in estates. Maheswaran's proposals said that priority should be given to the upcountry youth in the public sector and foreign employment opportunities. He also wanted to allocate 50-100 perch land to build schools, kovils and cultural centres. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse,during a meeting with Agricultural and Plantation Worker's Congress's delegation led by its President R.M. Krishnasamy, on Oct. 22, at Temple Trees said that a new youthful leadership was essential to guide the plantation community. He said he would not accept anybody who jumps from one camp to another. The Estate Infrastructure and Community Development Ministry was created to fulfil the needs of the plantation workers, but it could not implement any meaningful steps to uplift the standard of living of the community. The Prime Minister promised that he would implement a proper plan for the social, cultural and educational development of the plantation sector. The new Estate Infrastructure and Community Development Minister Dilan Perera, at a meeting with the editors of Tamil Newspapers has promised a separate university, Tamil National Schools at provincial level for upcountry Tamils. He said a Cabinet memorandum would be tabled to provide deeds to the newly-built houses for the estate workers. Hindu and Buddhist Cultural Centres would be established to strengthen the relations between the Tamils and Sinhalese. He pointed out that funds allocated to the ministry was never utilised, as such immediate steps would be taken to road development, drinking water and sanitation facilities. |
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