Plantation owners agree to hike wages

Thiruvananthapuram: The Association of Planters of Kerala (APK), an umbrella organisation of planters, Monday agreed to hike the wages of workers as per a tripartite pact reached last month.

The decision was taken at the Plantation Labour Committee (PLC) meeting in which representatives of the management and trade unions met here in the presence of state Labour Minister Shibu Baby John.

Announcing the outcome, John told reporters here tonight that the only the issue of wage hike was taken up at the meeting and other matters such as bonus would be taken up later.

It was a sort of a u-turn by the planters body as the APK had stated Sunday that it cannot enhance wages and bonus of workers as per the tripartite agreement reached on October 14.

Though the workers and trade unions had demanded Rs 500 as daily wages, it was decided in the October 14 meeting that an average daily wage of Rs 301 would be given to tea estate workers, Rs 381 to those in rubber plantations, Rs 330 in cardamom and Rs 301 in coffee plantations.

At least three lakh plantation workers in different estates in the state were on strike for a fortnight demanding wage hike and 20 per cent bonus.