Hatton, Sri Lanka – SAAPE members active in defending/protecting tea plantation sector workers rights in Sri Lanka organized an event to discuss tea plantation sector issues and the way forward in Hatton, Sri Lanka on 31 March.
The event brought together 51 participants including political leaders, trade unionists, local government members, civil society activists, academics, school principals, teachers, journalists, researchers, estate workers, religious heads, and NGO representatives. The event commenced with a welcome address by Ms. S. Logeshwary, Director of Human Development Organisation (HDO), followed by presentations from Mr. Herman Kumara of National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) and Mr. S. Prabaharan of Up-Country Social Research Centre outlining the goals and background of SAAPE and the South Asia Tea Plantation Workers’ Coalition.
Participants discuss on two main areas: challenges in the plantation industry and challenges faced by the plantation communities. The discussions highlighted several key issues in the plantation sector, including the casualization of the workforce through the outgrower model, unfair auction systems, gender inequality, lack of social security, occupational hazards, and inadequate wages. Other concerns raised were the continued use of old tea bushes, underutilized estate lands, limited access to modern agricultural technologies, and weak enforcement of labour laws.
Recommendations included converting workers into smallholder farmers or formal workers with social protections, restructuring the auction system, introducing replanting programmes, ensuring fair wages, and improving professional development and infrastructure in the sector.
In terms of community-related challenges, participants identified the absence of land and housing rights, high poverty levels, poor infrastructure, limited access to education and healthcare, and lack of disaster preparedness. The community’s dependency on estate management and their weak representation as a pressure group were also seen as barriers to progress. Proposed solutions included granting legal land ownership, decentralizing government services, reopening estate dispensaries, supporting students’ educational needs, and ensuring proper housing for families affected by disasters. The event concluded with a commitment to summarize the recommendations into a comprehensive demand document to be reviewed and shared with all stakeholders for future advocacy and action.