The Hon. (Ms.) Krishnan Kalaichelvi

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I am pleased to speak in this Committee Stage debate on the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government.

¶ 02 Regarding the nation’s workers—our backbone—the 2026 Budget is a happy one for estate workers in the hill country, marking a historic gain. The President stated in his Budget speech how the wage increase will be structured: from the current Rs. 1,350, an additional Rs. 200 obtained through talks with companies plus a Rs. 200 incentive from Government—bringing the daily wage to Rs. 1,750.

¶ 03 From that day to today—two weeks—Opposition Members have daily opposed this Rs. 200 increase for estate workers. The Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and his team have raised challenges even this morning—questioning how we can increase Rs. 200 and threatening legal action against the 159 Government MPs if implemented. Why this opposition?

¶ 04 Estate workers labour under hardship. Even as I speak, in a Kotagala estate, hornets attacked, sending many women to hospital—this is the reality they face. When we seek to raise their wages by Rs. 200, an Opposition MP—elected with hill-country votes—has petitioned the COPE or related bodies against it. What kind of people are these?

¶ 05 They come, speak what they like, and leave, refusing to listen to estate workers’ issues—because their political future depends on the hill-country vote. They claim hill-country people have risen against the Government. But visiting each estate shows otherwise: people are cursing the Opposition’s obstruction, saying “Do not block even the Rs. 200 we get; we will stand with the Anura Government in the future.”

¶ 06 Therefore, in this debate on Public Administration and related ministries, I focus on the pressing issues of public and private estate workers, and reiterate that our Ministers have clearly explained the wage model. Despite daily questions and objections to fish for support in the hill country, youth, public servants and estate workers there are now organizing to give a fitting response and lesson to the Opposition ranks infiltrating our areas. Thank you.