Employers and trade unions in Sri Lanka’s plantation sector have put off a second round of discussions on new wage levels for the sector for April 29 after an inconclusive first-meeting on April 4.
Three unions, the UNP-controlled Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union (LJEWU), Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) and the Joint Plantation Trade Union sat with the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) to work out a new Collective Agreement with the main issue being a 50 % wage hike sought by workers.
Plantations companies, represented by the EFC, say their profits have been eroded and costs are going up significantly affecting their ability to pay high wages. Unions counter by saying that recent high prices for tea have seen a sharp rise in profits for employers. |
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