President appoints committee to present solutions for issues related to tea industry

President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a special committee to present solutions after studying the short- and long-term issues related to the tea industry, including the wage issue of the estate workers.

This committee was appointed during a special discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat regarding the wage issue of the plantation workers.

President’s Chief of Staff H. M. P. Hitisekara, Ministry of Plantation Industries Secretary J. A. Ranjith, R. P. R. Rajapaksa, Secretary of Ministry of Labour, Treasury Secretary Dr. R. H. S. Samaratunga, Tea Board Chairman W. L. P. Wijewardena, Commissioner General of Labour J. Wimalaweera, Chairman of the Tea Small Holdings Development Authority, and representatives of the Planters’ Association of Ceylon, Sri Lanka Tea Factory Owners Association, Sri Lanka Tea Brokers’ Association, and Tea Exporters Association of Sri Lanka will be included as members in this committee.

The objective of this committee is to address issues related to the tea industry, accelerate the steps that should be taken to develop the industry, and to increase the welfare activities implemented for the benefit of the workers engaged in the industry. The committee is expected to submit its report within a month to the President.

The obstacles that have arisen in the process of raising the salaries of the tea industry workers and the issues that have arisen in the field of tea exports were broadly discussed at this meeting.

Secretary to the President Udaya R. Seneviratne, relevant Ministry Secretaries, public servants, veteran cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, representatives of the associations related to the tea industry, and others participated in this meeting.