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Elpitiya Plantations Limited has initiated a concept called "Core Group" on our estates. A Core Group is a group of people who represent all categories of employees of an estate from workers to Estate Managers.

Core Groups have been set up on each of the estates and are engaged in activities which led to the improvement of social welfare and quality of work life, training and development of workers and ultimately in improving the productivity of the estate.

Core Groups have been able to foster and improve better worker - management relationship and participatory - management and thereby reduce and minimise the hypothetical gap between them.

Manager, New Peacock Estate, M. I. Izzadeen and his assistants organised a health camp with the participation of eye and dental specialists, paediatricians, gynaecologists and nurses. Over 1,700 workers from Newpeacock, Nayapane, neighbouring estates and villages participated. Medicine worth Rs. 116,000 donated by various organisations were distributed. In addition 125 pairs of spectacles were distributed free with the assistance of the Nawalapitiya Lions Club.

The estate also opened a children's playground on the same day. Donors presented mat slides, swings, seesaws and merry-go-rounds to the playground.

The awards ceremony recognised the best pluckers, kanganies, sundry workers, plucking staff, sundry staff, creche attendant, office staff and factory staff of the estate.

Rohan Edwards, Manager of Dunsinane Estate and his assistants with the assistance of CMS Church - Nuwara Eliya and PHSWT - Nuwara Eliya organised a health camp and oral cancer-screening program for its workers with the participation of specialist doctors from Canada.

Two of the estates, Elpitiya and Dunsinane opened cooperative societies to provide workers with quality food items such as rice, potato, dhal, onions, wheat flour and milk power at low cost. This has reduced the cost-of-living of the workers significantly as they can purchase these consumables at low cost.

It also helps them to be released from indebtedness to the local retail shop owners in the long term, according to the managers of the estate, Bathiya Bulumulle and Rohan Edwards.

Prema Opanayake, Manager, Talgaswella Estate organised the registration of marriages of 32 Tamil families on their estate who were not married and whose average age was over 50 years.

It was organised at the request of the workers since they would have to undergo unnecessary delays and problems in obtaining EPF/ETF benefits in case of a death of the spouse where marriages have not been registered. Deviturai Estate recently organised a trip to "Kataragama Devalaya" for the second time with the participation of over 1,000 workers and their family members.

A. G. Geethkumara, the Manager of the estate said that this activity has contributed in improving the labour management relations , co-operation and harmony among the workers. The Welfare Society of the estate played a major role in organising this trip.

MJF Group, a shareholder of Elpitiya Plantations Limited has given a helping hand through MJF Charitable Foundation to provide mid day meals to two creches of Gulugahakande and Sheen Estates.

This program commenced in the first week of December and the company is in the process of assessing and monitoring the impact of this exercise on the growth pattern of the children.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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