The Hon. (Ms.) Krishnan Kalaichelvi

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, yesterday the President presented the 2026 Budget to this House. I saw Opposition Members listening attentively; I hoped they would then support the good work the Government is undertaking.

¶ 02 This 2026 Budget is historic, especially for me as a representative of estate workers. In the past, during every Budget, as a trade union leader I was on the streets demanding higher wages, solutions, and rights for estate workers who live under difficult conditions. Yesterday, the President announced that from January estate workers will receive a daily wage of Rs. 1,750. Previously they received Rs. 1,350. After hard negotiations with companies, we secured Rs. 200 from companies and Rs. 200 from the Government—an unprecedented Rs. 400 increase—so that from January estate workers will receive Rs. 1,750. On behalf of estate workers, the Ceylon Estate Workers’ Union, and the people of Sri Lanka, I thank the President.

¶ 03 This is the 80th Budget since Independence, and I consider it world-class in spirit for encompassing everyone—public and private sector workers, the vulnerable, women, the elderly, even care for domestic animals—showing comprehensive consideration. It is the first Budget to meaningfully address the issues of those living in the hill-country estates, including wages, infrastructure, housing, and land. If you read the Budget Speech again, you will see these clearly.

¶ 04 In the past, estate wage increases were tackled via biennial collective agreements between 1992 and 2021, and we fought on the streets for every gain. But for the first time, a Government representing all has included an estate wage increase directly in the Budget—a historic step. Negotiations with multinational plantation companies were difficult—“like drawing fibre from stone”—but we managed to secure Rs. 200 from the companies and Rs. 200 from the Government through a Rs. 5,000 million allocation as a daily attendance incentive, to reach Rs. 1,750.

¶ 05 To those who challenged the Government on social media, asking whether we could raise wages by even Rs. 10, I say: the Government has raised it by Rs. 400. If you cannot accept this, resign your seat and apologize to the hill-country people you misled.