Plantation companies violating Collective Agreement – CWC

Friday, 29 July 2011 03:29 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) this week stated that plantation companies are violating the Collective Agreement when sporadic changes are made to the norm or quantity of tea that has to be plucked by an individual plantation worker.

President CWC Muthu Sivalingam said the management of CWC intended to take this issue up with the Labour Department in the event the companies are unable to settle this dispute with the plantations workers.

A sporadic increase in the norm quantity of tea that has to be plucked is being reported from some estates.

The Labour Department is expected to meet with one such estate this week to resolve this problem.

Sivalingam said that a norm quantity should cover the entire plantation; however this varies according to the estates, the climatic condition in the areas and other factors.

According to the Collective Agreement, if the norms to be changed, the plantation company or estate superintendents have to seek discussions and obtain approval from the estate leaders and workers.

Sivalingam stated that the plantation stakeholders should try to resolve the problem before the issue is brought up by the trade unions. (SS)