<p><img src="" alt="Featured Image"></p><p><!-- wp:html --><p><strong><span>By Chaminda Silva</span></strong></p>
<p>President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday said that if plantation company owners go before the courts against government's directive of a minimum wage hike for estate workers, he would take the side of the workers and extend legal assistance to them, party sources said.</p>
<p>The President issued instructions to Labour Minister Manusha Nanayakkara and other officials to provide the services of lawyers and legal aid to the plantation workers against company owners threatening to resort to legal action against government's proposal to increase the daily wage of a worker to Rs 1,700.</p>
<p>Wickremesinghe announced a 70 percent increase in the daily wage of plantation workers to Rs. 1,700 when he addressed the May Day rally of the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) held at Kotagala.</p>
<p>Labour Minister Nanayakkara in his speech at the same rally explained how the increase would take place.</p>
<p>On the same day Labour Commissioner issued a gazette extraordinary stipulating that the daily wage to be at Rs. 1,350, with an additional daily special allowance of Rs. 350 totalling Rs. 1,700. Every kilo plucked over the set norm of 20 kilos would be paid Rs. 80.</p>
<p>Currently, plantation workers receive Rs. 1,000 basic wage plus EPF/ETF and after plucking the set target of 20 kg, they are paid an additional Rs. 40 a kilo.</p><!-- /wp:html --></p><p>[Category: <a href="https://feed.lankaimage.com/category/uncategorized/" rel="category tag">Uncategorized</a>]</p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> </p>
<p>President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday said that if plantation company owners go before the courts against government's directive of a minimum wage hike for estate workers, he would take the side of the workers and extend legal assistance to them, party sources said.</p>
<p>The President issued instructions to Labour Minister Manusha Nanayakkara and other officials to provide the services of lawyers and legal aid to the plantation workers against company owners threatening to resort to legal action against government's proposal to increase the daily wage of a worker to Rs 1,700.</p>
<p>Wickremesinghe announced a 70 percent increase in the daily wage of plantation workers to Rs. 1,700 when he addressed the May Day rally of the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) held at Kotagala.</p>
<p>Labour Minister Nanayakkara in his speech at the same rally explained how the increase would take place.</p>
<p>On the same day Labour Commissioner issued a gazette extraordinary stipulating that the daily wage to be at Rs. 1,350, with an additional daily special allowance of Rs. 350 totalling Rs. 1,700. Every kilo plucked over the set norm of 20 kilos would be paid Rs. 80.</p>
<p>Currently, plantation workers receive Rs. 1,000 basic wage plus EPF/ETF and after plucking the set target of 20 kg, they are paid an additional Rs. 40 a kilo.</p><!-- /wp:html --></p><p>[Category: <a href="https://feed.lankaimage.com/category/uncategorized/" rel="category tag">Uncategorized</a>]</p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> </p>