The Hon. Jeevan Thondaman

¶ 01 Excuse me, Hon. Minister, with respect, let me continue. Please give me a minute. Once I finish, I will listen to you fully. I gave you the same respect.

¶ 02 I will move on. I request the President: plantation companies play with numbers; sometimes they show accounts, sometimes not. They also reduce workdays gradually. Today they agree to give this wage; tomorrow they may add conditions. That would be wrong. We are ready to fully support the Government. We have said this from the start. I have great respect for the President and believe he will make the right decisions. But we have also worked with the companies; what they give through the front door, they take away through the back. So I ask the Government to be vigilant.

¶ 03 Further, all must understand: sustainability is key. We are running the country with “income eight, expenses ten.” As I said in the last debate, at this time we cannot take huge risks. State-Owned Enterprises must be resolved. In the Upcountry, JEDB and SPC Chairmen get arrested for failing to remit EPF/ETF; then they get bail; with every government this cycle continues.

¶ 04 Let me state: in 2020, within six months I secured a Rs. 1,000 increase; in 2024, a Rs. 1,350 basic. My only request: when the Ministry issues wage notifications, every time I tell media that salary increases alone are not a solution, do not claim victory; we must change the system. Today we talk about Rs. 1,700; in two years it will be Rs. 2,000; in four years, Rs. 2,200—how long do we auction this? We must move to productivity-based income, not only daily wages. If we create a productivity-linked model, poverty in the Upcountry will end.

¶ 05 Some intellectuals say we have been there for years. The Ceylon Workers’ Congress did what the context required—undeniable. Today, numbers in JEDB and SPC are declining. If this continues, we will be forced to shut JEDB and SPC. We must think anew: pilot outgrower or revenue-share models—divide land among workers and families, bring the informal sector in, and increase area resources.

¶ 06 Saying this may bring me criticism among my voters, but people elected me to lead them on the right path, not to lure them with lies. You have allocated Rs. 5,000 million for a 200-rupee attendance incentive. That is between you and the companies; when it reaches the final stage, I expect you to table it in Parliament.

¶ 07 In the Upcountry we face resource gaps. There are 864 schools—but how many with proper infrastructure? In Nuwara Eliya district, six main hospitals—how many can people sit and wait in? Where are the resources? There are around 200 km of roads—plantation roads and main roads—how many are in good condition?

¶ 08 You have allocated Rs. 5,000 million for wages for next year. What about the year after, and after that? Make it law to ensure a 200-rupee yearly increase; no one will oppose. Perhaps you gave this for the upcoming Provincial Council elections. One MP said “for the first time in history this raise has been given.” That is inaccurate. Under the Good Governance Government led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, with Hon. Mano Ganesan and former Minister Thigambaram in Cabinet, Rs. 100 per day was similarly provided for three-four months. This Rs. 200 is similar. That is fine. But how will you sustain it? It is the private sector.

¶ 09 If Rs. 5,000 million is available, a transformation the Upcountry has never seen is possible—from schools to essential infrastructure. We can create facilities and jobs. When we were in office, we lacked allocations. Today you have 159 Members and the President. I say this openly—not as a politician but as a young Sri Lankan: when the President took charge, it was a political revolution. In the first hundred days, all necessary changes should have been brought—no one would have questioned then. Now a year has passed. How many houses have been built nationwide? Worse, houses allocated to Nuwara Eliya have magically moved to Badulla. I intended to ask the Hon. Minister; he is not here. I expect an answer.

¶ 10 Finally: some Members beat drums here saying the President has given Rs. 1,750 daily wage to plantation workers. Let all know: the President’s promise was Rs. 2,138. I will not ask that now; I understand you struggled to raise wages. But let it be known: this Government has given Rs. 1,700, as I asked. Those who rejected Rs. 1,700 at the Wages Board—who walked out—now say Rs. 1,750 is the appropriate wage. If you grant Rs. 1,750 from January, I extend my sincere thanks to the Government and to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.