The Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) Vice President and Chairman of the Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT) S. Arusamy told the Sunday Observer that party leader and Minister of Upcountry New Villages, Estate Infrastructure and Community Development Arumugan Thondaman will continue discussions this week with different stake holders on getting the plantation workers’ demand of Rs.1000 basic wage.
This is consequent to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s statement in Parliament that the workers’ deserved a Rs.1000 basic wage and measures initiated by him for discussions among the TUs, Regional Plantation Companies (RPC) and the Treasury Secretary, he said.
Complaints were received from workers occupying the 2,500 new houses built during the last three years under the government’s housing scheme that cracks were developing in the walls due to low standard construction and he, on inspection with officials, found it to be true. Consequently Minister Thondaman has called upon a team of engineers to conduct an independent inspection of the houses and submit a report to the Ministry, Arusamy said.