COLOMBO : Reacting to President’s move to increase wages of plantation workers, TPA Leader Mano Ganesan said here : ” Today, the basic wage is Rs. 1,350. The question remains: is the President planning to increase the basic wage, or will the rise come through additional allowances such as norms, attendance, and other incentives?
I call upon the President to first increase the wages of workers in the three state plantation companies before negotiating with private RPCs.
MANO GANESAN further stated:
It is a fact that only the basic wage attracts EPF contributions, not the allowances.
The permanent stance of RPCs has always been rigid: they are prepared to pay more if workers meet higher norms. Their formula is simple — “more norms, more pay.” So, if the President’s formula follows this approach, it is nothing new.
However, workers often fail to meet higher norms because the crop has been neglected for decades, resulting in fewer leaves and lower productivity.
The TPA’s position, as per our MoU with the SJB alliance, remains firm: workers should be turned into partners. This can be achieved through smallholder cooperatives, with the government entering into a tripartite pact between government, workers, and companies.”
