MARKET DEVELOPMENT
'Government Committed to Solving Plantation Crisis'
'Government Committed to Solving Plantation Crisis'
21/09/205 (The Express News Service) - The State Government is committed to resolving the crisis in the plantation sector by creating a win-win situation for both workers and managements, said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
He said that wages should be sufficient for workers to meet their living expenses, and at the same time affordable to plantation managements. He was speaking at the 76th annual general meeting of the Association of Planters of Kerala (APK) here on Saturday. Terming the government’s decision to allot five per cent of the land for alternative purposes as ‘significant’, Chandy urged plantation companies to seek alternative methods to find revenue.
The CM’s comments came ahead of the meeting called by the Plantation Labour Committee in Thiruvananthapuram on September 26, to discuss setting a minimum wage of Rs 500/day in the sector.
“The issues in the State’s plantation sector are symbol of a change in the sector. Workers started strike as they find it difficult to make both ends meet with the present wages, for which they cannot be blamed. Meanwhile, the managements have their limitations. The government is exploring a solution by which both the stakeholders could coexist in a peaceful manner. The plantation sector is an important driver of the economy. Hence, a final decision will be taken only after analysing all aspects of the crisis,” said the Chief Minister.
Speaking on the occasion, APK chairman C Vinayaraghavan said that raising the minimum wage to Rs 500 would result in managements paying Rs 700/day, including statutory benefits.
“We are already in deep trouble due to the high production cost and low price of plantation crops. This year, the price of tea dropped to Rs 84/kg from Rs 107/kg last year. Since the companies are running on huge losses, the wages should be linked to productivity. An expert committee should be constituted to study the issues facing the sector in detail. The government should declare a moratorium on Agricultural Income Tax, Plantation Tax, Land Tax and Building Tax, until the crisis gets over,” he said.
He also demanded that crops like pepper, nutmeg and palm oil be included in the list of plantation crops by amending the Land Reforms Act. UPASI president Vijayan Rajes, APK vice-chairman Thomas Jacob and secretary Ajith V K also spoke.
He said that wages should be sufficient for workers to meet their living expenses, and at the same time affordable to plantation managements. He was speaking at the 76th annual general meeting of the Association of Planters of Kerala (APK) here on Saturday. Terming the government’s decision to allot five per cent of the land for alternative purposes as ‘significant’, Chandy urged plantation companies to seek alternative methods to find revenue.
The CM’s comments came ahead of the meeting called by the Plantation Labour Committee in Thiruvananthapuram on September 26, to discuss setting a minimum wage of Rs 500/day in the sector.
“The issues in the State’s plantation sector are symbol of a change in the sector. Workers started strike as they find it difficult to make both ends meet with the present wages, for which they cannot be blamed. Meanwhile, the managements have their limitations. The government is exploring a solution by which both the stakeholders could coexist in a peaceful manner. The plantation sector is an important driver of the economy. Hence, a final decision will be taken only after analysing all aspects of the crisis,” said the Chief Minister.
Speaking on the occasion, APK chairman C Vinayaraghavan said that raising the minimum wage to Rs 500 would result in managements paying Rs 700/day, including statutory benefits.
“We are already in deep trouble due to the high production cost and low price of plantation crops. This year, the price of tea dropped to Rs 84/kg from Rs 107/kg last year. Since the companies are running on huge losses, the wages should be linked to productivity. An expert committee should be constituted to study the issues facing the sector in detail. The government should declare a moratorium on Agricultural Income Tax, Plantation Tax, Land Tax and Building Tax, until the crisis gets over,” he said.
He also demanded that crops like pepper, nutmeg and palm oil be included in the list of plantation crops by amending the Land Reforms Act. UPASI president Vijayan Rajes, APK vice-chairman Thomas Jacob and secretary Ajith V K also spoke.