Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) Leader and Parliamentarian Arumugam Thondaman said that he will resign from Parliament next Tuesday (30) unless the basic wages of estate workers are not increased to Rs.1,000 each by estate companies.
“I will resign from Parliament, if the estate companies are not ready to pay the Rs. 1,000 basic wage demanded by estate workers by Tuesday,” Thondaman said.
He was addressing the media at the Primary Industries Ministry at Battaramulla yesterday.
Estate workers especially in the tea plantation sector have been resorting to trade union action demanding for an increase in their wage to Rs.1,000 per day.
Addressing the media, he further said that it is not difficult for estate companies to pay this wage hike when considering the service they obtain from estate workers.
Thondaman He pointed out that the managerial staff of estate companies draw huge monthly salaries while estate workers get a meagre income.
“The death anniversary of late Minister Saummiyamurthi Thondaman falls next Tuesday,October 30 and therefore that day is significant for the CWC.
The CWC urges the estate companies to come to a conclusion to pay this salary hike at least by that day (October 30) or otherwise, I will resign from Parliament and launch a huge campaign from November 6 aiming to meet the estate workers demands,” he said.
He added that if the estate companies do not agree to pay the salary hike by October 30, a series of protests will be carried out from Deepavali Day which falls on November 6.