Labor Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has warned plantation owners that the estates will be taken over by the government if the daily wage of estate workers is not increased to 1,000 rupees.
The Minister has also noted that it was surprising that owners who were reluctant to increase workers’ wages, claiming that estates were making losses, continued to run the estates.
The Minister has instructed to return the estates to the government if they are incurring excessive losses and pointed out that the government could make the estates profitable.
Minister de Silva has pointed out that the government also develops infrastructure facilities including estate houses and roads and taking over estate hospitals maintains health services in the plantation areas.
Therefore, the Minister has emphasized that a large amount of money will be saved for the plantation companies and has told the estate employers that a final decision will be given within two weeks regarding the salary of the estate workers.
Courtesy: Colombo Page
