The government will pay the promised Rs.1000 salary to all estate workers from April, said the Minister of Plantations, Ramesh Pathirana in the Parliament. Minister said that all plantation companies are legally obliged to pay this Rs. 1,000 to the estate workers. For the first time in history, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has allocated Rs. 1.5 billion from the budget for plantation industries and export crops including tea, rubber, and coconut. The government has taken steps to provide drought relief to all those who submitted applications to the Tea Small Holdings Development Authority last year, said the Plantation Minister.
Update:
Rs.1,000 minimum wage for estate workers from April - Minister
Plantations Minister Dr.Ramesh Pathirana told Parliament yesterday that the decision to pay the Rs. 1,000 minimum wage for estate workers should be implemented from April.
Responding to a question raised in Parliament yesterday by MP Waruna Liyanage during the Question round anticipating oral answers,
Minister Pathirana said despite several parties resorting to legal action against the decision to increase the estate workers wage and based on the court verdict issued on Monday, there is no obstacle in paying the Rs.1,000 wage to estate workers. “The court very moderately gave us the guidelines for legal provisions in order to implement the wage increase. Hence, for the first time we are certain that the Rs.1,000 wage for estate workers would definitely be paid to them.”
He noted that the court verdict issued on Monday is a huge victory in terms of the estate workers wage issue.
He said that all estate companies are legally obliged to pay the Rs.1,000 wage to estate workers and said that the government will ensure that they abide by their obligation.
