Plantation Wage Debate

When Tea and Sympathy is not Enough… A Living Wage for Sri Lanka’s Plantation Workers

Wage levels are an issue of concern across the globe as
individuals, companies and governments wrestle with how
wages paid to workers relate to costs of living, corporate and
national competitiveness, profitability and broader macroeconomic
trends and challenges.

In the tea sector, wages are generally set at the national or
regional level. Research suggests that puckers are paid the
same rates across individual regions, around the level of the
applicable minimum wage, regardless of the economic
performance or social responsibility of the individual estate
that they are working at. There are, however, variations in
provision of in-kind benefits, such as food, fuel and
accommodation, which may make up a significant part of
workers’ total benefits.

Accordingly plantation workers will be granted a minimum daily wage of Rs 1,000. The minimum wage was increased to Rs. 750 by the former Government despite demands to increase it to Rs. 1000.

To read more on this subject click below link by a IPS researcher Dr. Manoj Thibotuwawa (PhD)

http://www.ips.lk/talkingeconomics/2019/12/16/when-tea-and-sympathy-is-not-enough-a-living-wage-for-sri-lankas-plantation-workers/?fbclid=IwAR1PKLGQmiIqnCO1Iio_Seow16azEJtg7--xYUyFJbP9ikNQmsJoawRl8vU