HUMAN RESOURCE ACTIVITIES IN PLANTATION INDUSTRY BY ARJUNA BATCH # 24

 

 HUMAN RESOURCE ACTIVITIES IN TEA PLANTATION INDUSTRY

INTRODUCTION

In 1867 Scottish planter Mr. James Taylor planted 19 acres of Tea in Loolecondra Estate in Kandy. Which was the first commercial Tea plantation in Sri Lanka.Over 150 years after the first commercial tea crop was planted in Sri Lanka by James Taylor, still Sri Lanka’s main income generating Agriculture industry is Tea industry.

The Tea industry provides employment directly and indirectly to over one million people. Land area is covered in tea plantations amounting to nearly 203000 hectares. Sri Lanka is production is about 340 million kilograms per Annum.The industry generates a significant amount of valuable foreign exchange. Tea is the highest foreign exchange earner next to foreign employment and tourism. In 2016, 12.3% of total export earnings from black tea.

 HISTORY

 In the British Empire, these workers were unpaid and completely at the will of plantation owners. They brought as slaves. They arrived indebted and had to pay for their own transportation, until this rule was changed in 1922.Workers lived in crowded shacks, and they lived without sanitation, medical facilities or schools for their children. Working conditions were very harsh, with long hours and heavy quotas. There were no any law came in to action during these period.

When Sri Lanka became independent in 1948, the Tea plantation workers were legally designated as "temporary immigrants" and were denied citizenship. In the 1980s, after more than 150 years living in Sri Lanka, the descendants of Indian Tamil indentured servants were granted Sri Lankan citizenship rights. However, they continue to be among the most marginalized and impoverished people in the country.

                                                                                                             [Figure 1:Old tea plantation workers]

 

CURRENTLY BENIFITING FACSLITIES BY THE PLANTATION WORKERS IN SRI LANKA

The under mentioned facilities will provide to plantation workers in Sri Lanka by Regional plantations companies (RPC) or Local government.

·          Free medical facilities for pregnant mothers. including ANC clinic facilities

·          Free transportation to closest hospital for any medical issue.

·          Free medical drugs on estate account

·          Maternity benefit payments as per the collective agreement.

·          Free of charge day care facilities.

·          Free of charge preschool facilities.

·          School facilities within the estate premises.

·          If any student selected to university there will be assistance given by the estate.( monthly payments)

·          Always there will be job guarantee according to their education qualification.(staff or worker category)

·           07 or 10 perches land will be given to estate workers on free of charge.

·          New houses will be given free of charge. And earlier line rooms will be taken back.(house worth of 2million)

·          Cultivation plot will be given to each house.

·          Free of charge water facility will be given on 24 hours. And maintenance will be done under estate account.

·          Worker houses surroundings will be cleaned by the estate account.

·          Monthly Flour, Rice will be given o concession rate.

·          Free Tea will be given to each plantation worker.

·          All the welfare activities will be undertaken by the estate expenditures.

·          Any funeral occurred part of the coffin charges bare by the estate management.

·          And transport of the confine to the estate will be done on estate expenditures.

·          Burial of the coffin will be done on estate expenditures.

                                                                [Figure 2:Old plantation worker's line houses]

                                                                     [Figure 3: Plantation workers new houses]

 

By going through the above key indicators you will understand that the plantation industry is the backbone of Sri Lankan economy and the plantation community is well looked after by the Estate management. Comparing to other industries plantation is one of the best industries that looked after their employees in such manner. But as usual in political arena and social media this is one of the main topic which can earn more public concern because most of the outsiders still have the imagination that estate community are treat as slaves under the plantation industry like colonial era.    

 

References

·         Date 22.09.2020

·         Author Laura Fornell (Nanu Oya)

 

https://www.dw.com/en/sri-lanka-tea-workers-and-a-legacy-of-exploitation/a-55006963#:~:text=Tea%20cultivation%20was%20introduced%20to,that%20tied%20work