The Hon. Sundaralingam Pradeep - Deputy Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the National People’s Power Government’s second Budget. A key topic has been the wage increase for plantation workers.

¶ 02 Let me begin with lines from C. V. Veluppillai: “For a day’s wage, for a handful of rice, not one, not two… a thousand stories… Seeing a small sum on the pay sheet… they shed silent tears.”

¶ 03 From the British era, Malaiyaha people were brought from 1823 and paid a mere 6 pence in 1840. Over time, wages rose gradually: Rs. 116 (2001), Rs. 405 (2008), Rs. 515 (2011), Rs. 620 (2013), Rs. 730 (2016), Rs. 750 (2019), and Rs. 1,000 (2021)—the latter achieved after massive youth-led protests in Colombo and Galle Face. Since 2024, it has been Rs. 1,350. Now, with companies adding Rs. 200 and the Government adding Rs. 200, the total daily wage will be Rs. 1,750 from January—the highest in history for plantation workers, delivered by the National People’s Power Government.

¶ 04 What happens now? An Opposition female MP has complained to the Bribery or Corruption Commission against this Rs. 200 Government support. Do they have a conscience? Those who remained silent when billions were looted—Central Bank scandals, seizure of estate lands through political power—now complain about Rs. 200 for the most vulnerable workers. The Opposition Leader says they are not against the increase, but the people in the estates are outraged. They will not be able to return to those areas and face the people.

¶ 05 To Opposition politicians representing Malaiyaha constituencies: reflect on whether you can remain in that camp after this betrayal. Our Government stands with the workers. For decades, some parties did “wage politics” and “trade union politics” to sustain themselves. We have ended that cycle by securing the wage. Next, they will talk about land and housing. We will resolve those too, soon. The NPP Government is working to ensure Malaiyaha people live as equal, dignified citizens, with their human rights protected.

¶ 06 On another point: annually 10,000–15,000 Sri Lankans undertake the Ayyappan pilgrimage to India. For 50 years, devotees asked that it be recognized as a sacred pilgrimage. Successive governments and ministers failed to grant this. Our Government obtained Cabinet approval and, via Extraordinary Gazette, recognized the Ayyappan pilgrimage as a sacred pilgrimage—making Sri Lanka the only country in the world to do so.

¶ 07 Some now ask whether the plantation wage increase will really materialize or is eyewash. They have no substantive critique; they speak only to make headlines. Go to the estates and understand the people’s sentiments. Those who grabbed thousands of acres through political power fear that if workers’ wages rise, other estate laborers will also demand increases—eroding their advantages. Regardless of who complains or where, as Deputy Minister I state: from January, plantation workers will receive Rs. 1,750.

¶ 08 Thank you.