The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson. My colleague Hon. Jeevan Thondaman could not attend due to a fire last evening at the KM Division of the Hatton Senan Estate, which affected 23 families and over 90 persons. He asked me to convey a few lines from his prepared text, but due to time I will turn to my own points and refer briefly to his.

¶ 02 For over 200 years, estate workers have contributed as the backbone of the economy, yet their living standards, social status, and fundamental rights have faced systemic discrimination. Instead of addressing their demands positively, the focus has often been on how to deflect them.

¶ 03 Hon. Minister, as a former trade union stalwart now Minister, a few points on plantation workers. The basic daily wage was once raised to Rs. 1,000; later there was a major push to raise it to Rs. 1,700. Plantation companies resisted, went to court, and the Gazette on the wage increase was annulled. In 2024, talks resumed via the Wages Board. Your party’s trade union—the All Ceylon Estate Workers Union—proposed around Rs. 2,136 (or 2,163) as the daily wage and said they would not compromise below that. Yet the Budget speech by the President as Finance Minister stated Rs. 1,700. Previously, your side strongly opposed a split of Rs. 1,350 basic plus Rs. 350 allowance; now the Budget says Rs. 1,700. What changed between the pre-power stance and now?

¶ 04 The malaiyaha people voted believing in you. Do not betray them. You promise public servants a salary increase from April; why not give the same clarity for plantation workers on the Rs. 1,700? It appears their votes were used to achieve 159 seats, with little follow-through. If you truly cared, you would not be assisting traders at the expense of these workers. This community toils to build the economy and bring in foreign exchange. If you cannot take a fair decision, at least tell them the truth now. Otherwise, they will reject you in the coming local elections.

¶ 05 From Hon. Jeevan Thondaman’s note: the plantation sector is among the most repressive industries; estate managers exercise arbitrary control, treating residents like serfs. Hence, people demand land and housing rights. Hon. Minister Saroja Savitri, please press your Government on this. Do not just take votes and abandon them; be their voice.

¶ 06 On Provincial Councils: In December, when we (TNA) met the President, we proposed to bring back the previous electoral system via a Private Member’s Bill reintroduced by Hon. Sumanthiran. The President said the Government would do it. Local Government elections have been readied; why not similarly prepare and bring the Bill for PCs? Please answer.

¶ 07 My colleague Hon. Kodeeswaran has repeatedly raised Kalmunai North DS issues for four months, seeking responses from the Ministry, but nothing so far. If your Government cannot resolve it in Ampara—Kalmunai in particular—at least give an answer.

¶ 08 Likewise, under the previous Government, actions began to bifurcate large DS divisions where populations were very high—such as Kattankudy, Chenkalady, and Porativu Pattu in Batticaloa. Please pursue those steps. If you cannot make a fair decision for plantation workers, at least be honest with them. Thank you.