Unions in Sri Lanka sell out Tamil plantation workers...

Amid the global economic downturn, Sri Lankan plantation trade unions are collaborating with employers in pay negotiations to keep the income of hundreds of thousands of tea, rubber and coconut workers at poverty levels.

The previous two-year agreement between unions and the Ceylon Employers Federation (CEF) expired in March and talks over a new agreement have dragged on since February. When asked about the delay, union leaders told the WSWS that they were too busy with the August 8 provincial council elections in Uva to finalise an agreement.

Anger is growing among mostly Tamil-speaking plantation workers, who are among the most oppressed layers of the Sri Lankan working class. According to the 2006-07 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 32 percent of people in the plantation sector live in poverty. More...

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