Business

Tea industry urges productivity-based wage model before it sinks

Published

6 years ago

2020/11/18

by Sanath Nanayakkare

The Planters Association yesterday assured that tea industry workers will be able to earn between Rs.40,000-50,000 monthly if a wage model linked to productivity is incorporated when the new collective agreement is signed in January 2021 determining worker wages

“We can even exceed the rhetorical demands made by trade unions and some politicians that tea industry workers should be paid a daily wage of Rs. 1,000. They made these demands without accounting the output, revenue and other facilities provided to the workers who are resident on the estates and are assured of continuous work. We can ensure that if this model is introduced their earnings would go up to Rs. 40,000-50,000 a month, while also guaranteeing them 300-days work during the year,” they said.

The Planters’ Association of Ceylon made these comments at a virtual press conference titled, ‘Towards Sustainable Livelihood for Every Plantation Worker’.

“But to do this, we all need to agree on a revenue model for generating financial income. We can pay higher wages only from the revenue. Depending on external resources to pay wages is not sustainable. Current attendance-based model is not viable. Workers need to be motivated to pluck tea leaf as efficiently as those working in the tea lands of smallholders. In tea smallholdings workers hold the key to productivity. We also have experimented this in our RPCs with encouraging results for all stakeholders and this best practice needs to be incorporated in our collective agreement if the industry is to move forward in the long term,” Bhathiya Bulumulla, chairman of the Planters Association of Ceylon said.

“A productivity-based wage model will give the workers a self-managed entrepreneurial mindset and more dignity where good workers are duly rewarded and then we can also prevent them from migrating to other jobs in cities. In the Covid-!9 situation, plantation industry has not shed a single worker or cut their pay like in many other industries. We must make this resilience more meaningful to the RPCs, trade unions and our workers on an equal scale. We should all therefore work collaboratively for the betterment of the industry or otherwise we would all sink. If a favourable arrangement can be made where workers can earn Rs. 40,000-50,000, I don’t see why there should be any opposition to it from the trade unions,” Planters Association Ceylon spokesman Roshan Rajadurai said.

“Workers who would thus turn out to be valuable partners of RPCs should be able to add to productivity by plucking between 30-40 kilos of tea leaf a day in the same manner it is achieved in tea smallholdings while looking after their respective tea blocks for sustainable plucking for a constant livelihood. The nimble hands of our women workers would also be able to do the same and earn more,” they said.

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Business

Charting a worker-centered AI future: Colombo hosts landmark ITF conference

Published

3 hours ago

2026/09/21

Thilina Walpola

The ITF’s first-ever AI-focused global conference and the first of its kind hosted in Sri Lanka

By Sanath Nanayakkare

Artificial intelligence and automation present serious challenges for workers – such as job consequences seen in docks and rail systems – and emphasises that workers cannot simply stop technological progress. By gathering young trade unionists in Sri Lanka, the ITF aims to establish key principles for engaging with technology, ensuring workers have a strong voice at the bargaining table, and encouraging constructive social dialogue with corporations and governments.

These compelling words from ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton underscored the urgent reality facing modern labor as rapid technological advancements sweep across global industries.

Confronting this shifting landscape head-on, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), in partnership with the National Union of Seafarers of Sri Lanka (NUSS), convened a ground-breaking conference on artificial intelligence in Colombo from September 15–17.

As the ITF’s first-ever AI-focused global conference and the first of its kind hosted in Sri Lanka, the landmark event marked a critical milestone in balancing technological innovation with worker-centered safeguards.

Representing over 16.6 million transport workers worldwide, the ITF designed the gathering to tackle the multifaceted impacts of AI on safety, operations, workforce development, and governance. Rather than resisting progress, the conference focused on proactive engagement, establishing guiding principles to protect workers’ rights and privacy both at sea and on land.

Key discussions centred on sharing best practices for upskilling and reskilling transport personnel, ensuring that human oversight remains central to AI-driven logistics, routing, and maintenance.

Reflecting on the historic nature of the event, Boa Athu, CEO of National Union of Seafarers Asia Pacific, noted that the conference represented a monumental moment as AI emerges as a permanent fixture of contemporary life.

Highlighting NUSS’s pride in hosting the event in Colombo, Athu emphasised that AI offers transformative potential when guided by strong social dialogue, equitable access to training, and robust governance safeguards.

Ultimately, the Colombo conference demonstrated that the future of transport must be shaped by those who keep the world moving. By uniting international labour leaders, affiliates, port operators, and regulators, the event laid a vital foundation for inclusive policy frameworks that champion fair labour standards, securing a powerful voice for workers in an automated tomorrow.

Business

Bridging the digital divide: Sri Lanka’s airport licence challenge

Published

3 hours ago

2026/09/21

Thilina Walpola

As tourism surges from digitally advanced markets like India, modern independent travelers arriving at BIA find themselves caught in a mismatch between cloudstored credentials and local paper-based transport protocols.

By Sanath Nanayakkare

As Sri Lanka experiences a surge in visitors from its largest tourist market, India, a modern administrative hurdle has emerged at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).

While nations like India and Pakistan have successfully transitioned to fully digital driving licences and cashless ecosystems, Sri Lanka’s Department of Motor Traffic counter still requires a physical card to issue temporary local permits, The Island Financial Review learns.

This mismatch creates significant friction for independent travelers who rely entirely on smartphones and cloud-stored credentials. Tourists turned away at the airport – and sometimes redirected to the Werahera office in vain – find themselves unable to legally rent and drive vehicles. Consequently, this policy gap harms local car rental operators, causes tourist frustration, and deprives the government of valuable permit revenue.

The situation highlights a distinct irony: Sri Lankan motorists easily travel abroad using International Driving Permits that are readily accepted in India and Pakistan, yet local infrastructure cannot reciprocate due to outdated verification systems.

Recognizing the problem, Department of Motor Traffic officials have noted that upgrades and new equipment are currently in the works to integrate foreign digital platforms.

For a nation aggressively pursuing a national digitalisation drive, rapidly modernising these transport protocols is essential to keeping pace with global travelers and unlocking the full potential of its tourism economy.

Business

International Afro-Latin Dance Festival in Colombo to grow into a larger regional tourism draw

Published

3 hours ago

2026/09/21

Thilina Walpola

Founder X Director – ALIF – J D RUBAN

ALIF-SL, Sri Lanka’s first-ever international Afro-Latin dance festival, returns for its 4th edition from 25 to 27 September 2026 at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo. The festival will bring together over 30 international and national artists and 175–200 participants from more than 20 countries, reaffirming its place as the region’s leading platform for Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba.

This year’s edition is headlined by Tropical Gem, the world’s No. 1 salsa team, travelling from Italy to perform and teach alongside a stellar international line-up. Attendees can also look forward to the ALIF Cup Sri Lanka Open, a keenly contested competition judged by an international panel, giving local dancers a rare opportunity to compete and connect with world-class talent.

“Every year, ALIF connects Sri Lanka to the world. With this year’s artist line-up and the ALIF Cup competition, we’re not just hosting a festival, we’re putting Sri Lanka on the map as a top destination for dance,” said JD Ruban, Founder and Director of ALIF-SL

Beyond the dance floor, ALIF-SL continues to support Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, drawing dancers, judges and enthusiasts from across the globe to Colombo and positioning the capital as an emerging regional hub for social dance. Organizers plan to grow the festival into a larger regional tourism draw, introduce new competition categories, and bring in even bigger headline acts in future editions.