Following continuous demands raised by the upcountry plantation workers regarding the increase of their daily wage up to Rs. 1,700, the Ministry of Labour is to issue a gazette authorising the Commissioner General (CG) of the Labour Department to make a suitable decision regarding the matter, The Daily Morning learnt.

When contacted, the Acting Secretary to the Ministry Lal Samarasekara told The Daily Morning yesterday (25) that the Ministry is very sensitive to the matter and taking measures to reach a consensus between the stakeholders to make a final decision. He also noted that the Ministry is to issue a gazette notification authorising the Department to make a suitable decision regarding the matter. He also said that most probably, the relevant gazette would be issued on 25 or 26 April. Accordingly, the CG of Labour will be given the power to take a decision, and it will later be implemented through the Ministry, he said.

Several attempts were made to contact the CG of Labour H.K.K.A. Jayasundara, and the Planters' Association of Ceylon proved futile.

Meanwhile, estate workers in the upcountry staged a token strike and several protests on Monday (22) with several demands, including an increase in the daily wage. The protestors blamed the plantation companies for disregarding the hardships faced by the estate workers and not implementing President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s instructions to increase the wages up to Rs. 1,700 per day. However, certain estate workers' unions alleged that the strike and protests organised by the Ceylon Workers’ Congress, demanding a minimum daily wage of Rs. 1,700, were unsuccessful due to a lack of collective organisation.