Workers to intensify stir as meeting fails to arrive at consensus

Munnar: Plantation workers in Kerala have decided to continue their indefinite strike following the failure of second round of talks at the Plantation Labour Committee here Tuesday on the contentious issue of wage hike and 20 per cent bonus.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, State Labour Minister Shibu Baby John said the meeting failed to reach a consensus on workers demand to hike daily wages to Rs 500 and the issue would be discussed at Wednesday's cabinet meeting.

With talks having failed, trade union leaders said they would intensify their agitation which entered the third day Wednesday.

Nearly three lakh plantation workers, employed in different estates in Kerala, are on strike demanding wage hike and 20 per cent bonus.

The trade unions struck to its demand for daily wage of Rs 500 while plantation-owners maintained that it was not possible for them to hike it to that level.

AITUC, CITU, INTUC, BMS and several small trade unions are participating in the strike.

The PLC had held a meeting here last Saturday, but failed to arrive at a consensus regarding wage hike.

Meanwhile United Planters Association of Southern India termed as 'impractical' the Kerala plantation workers' demand for a daily wage of Rs 500.

"It would not be possible for us to bear Rs 500 daily as wages. That demand is impractical...Because the current economic realities coupled with the plethora of taxes and levies, does not make it a viable proposition," newly-elected UPASI President N Dharmaraj told reporters in Kochi.