Colombo, March 17 -The Ceylon Workers Red Flag Union (CWRFU) will be staging a protest against moves to put Sri Lanka’s plantations in the informal sector. The CWRFU says that the step would be regressive besides adversely affecting workers’ rights at a time of great economic stress.
The CWRFS fears the informalization of all estates in the future. With a view to stopping this the CWRFU is organizing a protest on March 18 in front of the Court Complex at Colombo as the matter is to be heard at the Court of Appeal on that day.
The purpose of this protest is to pressure companies to abandon the idea of informalizing the plantation sector, which has traditionally been a formal sector, a press release from the union said.
Over the last few years, there has been a concerted push to remove estate workers from full-time, guaranteed employment and instead engage them as casual labourers, with uncertain working hours and wages. Even workers in regular employment are often denied fair wages, as their pay is tied to unreasonable targets. With the ongoing high cost of living, families who depend on the plantation sector are severely impacted by austerity measures. Moreover, labour rights are often disregarded by the plantation companies, the union said.
Approximately 300 – 350 plantation workers are expected to participate in this protest to express their strong opposition to informalization, which threatens their job security and livelihoods.
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