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A
different kind of 'labour law' Labour demands
a daily wage. A man would be paid Rs.300/- with meals, but at the
end of the day one feels cheated - a day's work has not been completed.
So you have the choice of asking him to come the next day or finishing
it off yourself with whatever assistance you can muster. Asking
him to complete the work would necessitate another full day's wage
because these men won't accept anything less than a day's wage. If you work
on a contract basis and stipulate your terms, the chances are that
although you think he has understood you clearly, there may well
be a snag. He will finish the task in half the time, demand his
full fee and leave you to get rid of the clutter. The fact that
you will not ask him again does not deter him. If work cannot
be completed in a day and you have arranged for him to come over
the next day too, the chances of his turning up are slim. These
people are working for you today because they need that amount of
money at the end of the day. Tomorrow is another day, they might
need to work or they might not, it all depends... At present,
labour is very scarce in the village. All of a sudden it seems difficult
to find a man to get a job done. Where have
they gone, I ask the women in the village, and they tell me that
these days they are distilling kasippu (moonshine) and earning Rs.500/-
to 600/- an hour! This must be a roaring trade in the village then,
if so many men are involved. When I first came to the village, kasippu
was being distilled in stealth - it was a well-known secret. Women used
to dislike leaving their homes unattended, for fear of the brew
being hidden in their gardens. They say when a "tip off"
to the police takes place, the culprits bring the brew and place
it in the garden of a temporarily deserted house, and that homestead
will be victimized until they can prove that they are innocent.
Unravelling the "whodunnit?" becomes even more complicated
as names and information are withheld, perhaps for fear of reprisal
or the offenders being kith and kin. Perhaps both. But of late
it seems to be out in the open, and no one seems to care. The bottom
line is money and, I am told , they can net Rs.2000/- in half -a-day.
The women tell me that those who are caught, are fined Rs. 10,000/-
by the court. This will be paid, and then it is business as usual.
The women are
better workers than the men. But they are most often very busy attending
to their home chores. So you have got to fit into their schedule,
as they allocate a day and time suitable to them. Of course they
do need the money, but they also have to see to their families,
and attending society meetings do take a great deal of their time. Image is important
- working as a domestic is a menial task. Going to the Middle East-
and doing the same task under trying circumstances cannot be equated
with doing the same task locally. The former offers the chance to
say you have gone abroad and perhaps you are free from the hassle
of being contactable by the family. The latter only proves that
you are an underdog, unless you get more off the deal, such as the
family welfare being seen to in addition to the basic wage. This
can be a very costly undertaking. Any inability to meet with their
demands and you will be left in the lurch. Loyalty and
pride in a job well done seems to be outmoded. How much can be extracted
at minimal cost to self seems to be the work ethic of the village.
This calls for devious methods, and the majority of the labour force have little scruples. But one learns to survive in the village. It is just a matter of matching a need with a want. Everything else is just water under the bridge.... Dehydrated
vegetables The concept
of dehydrated food is still quite alien to us Sri Lankans. The Intermediate
Technology Development Group (ITDG) - South Asia aims to introduce
this novel method of preparing food and also to market this concept
in the rural areas in the hope of creating self-employment. The dehydration
process involves the removal of 80-90 per cent of water from fresh
vegetables, greens and fruits. When done under proper and controlled
conditions the nutrients, taste, aroma and natural colour are adequately
preserved. ITDG - South Asia began working with communities to find
a solution to address the issues of wastage and surplus to ensure
improved returns for the small producer. The project
has been put into action in two rural communities. The 'Nawa Dividasuna
Kantha Samithiya' in Mawathagama and the 'Viharagala Sudharma Kantha
Samithiya' of Haldemulla. "We contribute with the initial investment,"
says Mr. Jayantha Gunesekera, Programme Manager, Agro Processing
and Food Production Programme. "But it's always with the understanding
that the investment should be paid back in full. By doing so we
encourage them to stand on their own two feet. We've also found
a small yet effective export market. This is due to the fact that
the shelf-life of products is guaranteed for six months." An interesting
aspect of dehydrated food is that as the water content of food is
minimal it weighs very much less than its fresh counterpart. But
on introducing water to the product, once again, it doubles or triples
in quantity. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
village
because labour is aplenty and money is what the villagers need.
So one can get the maximum for the minimum. Wrong. Labour is easier
to find in the city and you can obtain value for money. Here in
the village, people are in need of money, but they would rather
wait for handouts than work. When work comes their way, they will
quote Colombo prices, but not deliver the same service.
