The Employers Federation of Ceylon (EFC) convened further talks with Plantation Unions last Friday and put forward some new proposals to seek a breakthrough into the ongoing go-slow, but defiant union leaders refused to budge on their demand for Rs. 500 per day as a daily wage.

Chairman, Plantation Service Group with the EFC and Deputy Chairman Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PA), Lalith Obeysekera said the new proposals included an increase in wages now amounting to Rs. 385 per day, up from Rs. 350 offered earlier.

"This proposal was also rejected", he said. "The Unions also demanded that an increase in wages should not be inter-related to productivity".

Hitherto, when the last collective agreement was negotiated, wage increases were merged with productivity. This meant that the full impact of a wage increase would be subjected to minimum 25 days attendance. Based on that agreement, a worker would earn a monthly wage of Rs. 7,250.

Present at last Friday’s discussions were The Ceylon Workers Congress, (CWC), Lanka Jathika Estate Union, (LJEWU) and Joint Federation of Estates Trade Unions. The Planters’ Association represented Regional Plantation Companies (RPCC) at the talks.

According to the new proposals submitted, the monthly wage of an estate worker would amount to Rs. 9,675 -- a 3% increase from the original proposal, Obeysekera said. The increase in real rupee terms will be Rs. 2,355.

"This is totally discouraging because plantations stretched to maximum levels in affordability could barely sustain themselves even at this enhanced wage proposal", he complained.

He also said there would be further talks next week to make a fresh attempt at a breakthrough to resolve this dispute.

"If productivity is divorced form wages, the reality is that there would be not be feasibility in ensuring profitably irrespective of wages paid", he pointed out.

Other benefits enjoyed by plantations workers include free housing. Gone are the days of line rooms. Individual houses were built for workers on seven perches land given free of charge and such housing is located in good sites with infrastructure associated with urban housing schemes. Such benefits too had to be quantified, Obeysekera noted.

Commenting on this dispute, Chairman Melsna Tea, Anslem Perera, said most amenities on estates are given free to estate workers. These, if quantified, would read a healthy bottomline that each worker family would enjoy.