Five Plantation trade unions under an umbrella organization called ‘Leading Plantation Trade Unions Opposing the Collective Agreement’ claimed plantation workers have been cheated of their demand for a minimum wage of Rs. 500. per worker per day.

Present at the press conference yesterday were President Up Country Workers front, P. Chandrasekeran MP, General Secretary Ceylon Workers Alliance, S. Sathasivam, President National Union Of Workers, R.Thigambaram, President All Ceylon Estate Workers Union (JVP), R. Chandrasekar MP, President Proletarian New Democratic Union, E. Thambiah, Leader , Democratic Workers Congress , Mano Ganeshan MP.

They collectively called for Ceylon Workers Congress, General Secretary, Thondaman’s immediate resignation, because, they claimed he had cheated workers of their legitimate demand of basic wages of Rs. 500 per day. They further claimed that Regional Plantation Companies had offered only Rs285. per worker. This was not acceptable.

Although Thondaman and Velaithan, representing the Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union, signed the agreement this week, major part of the work force were opposed to the agreement.

Unions vociferously claimed settlement at Rs. 405. was opposed to their original demand, and was in fact that workers were cheated of their wage rights.

‘We will not accept this wage settlement but continue to agitate. ‘When will your agitation take effect. And what are your plans to activate such agitation?’, question by the press. Mano Ganeshan who spoke first said they consulted workers when such action should be initiated, and they sais it should be after the Dheepavali holiday.

They would propose that both the CWC, and the UNP Union, LJEWU, should all unite to rescind this agreement and agitate for basic wage of Rs. 500.

Question, ‘You said this the last time too, but nothing happened. Would that be repeated?’ ‘No .This time there is strong opposition to what the CWC and LJEWU did and mind set among workers is strong and therefore we would agitate again.’

‘Will you succeed’, ‘We expect that because all workers will join us we will succeed.’

You spoke of intervention of the President, he intervened this time, but you had no answer to the settlement.’

‘You are wrong. The Minister who negotiated the package was D.M.Jayaratne. He should not have been in the negotiating process, the person who should have been there was Athauda Seneviratne. He was nowhere in sight.

What do you intend doing when you agitate?. We have not discussed that yet, but that will be in reality after Dheepavali.

‘Is it wrong that the agreement was based on productivity, and if they were in attendance about 24 days, their take home pay will be about Rs9,350. per month’.

‘We are not in agreement with this settlement’. They said.

‘Why do you say you have been let – down’? ‘ Till about two days ago, we were united in our demands but yesterday, the CWC went behind our basks and signed.