Nov 16, Colombo: An estate sector trade union in Sri Lanka says that estate workers have not been granted any salary hike.

Head of the All Ceylon Estate Workers Union, Ramalingam Chandrasekhar said that despite allocations being made in the budget for salary increases for the public sector, the estate sector work force of one million has not been granted a salary hike.

He noted that the Defence Ministry has been allocated Rs.290 billion, the Economic Development Ministry has been allocated Rs.80 billion and Rs.7.45 billion for the President, but the estate sector employees who play a key role in the main production sector in the country have not been granted any relief from the 2013 budget.

He explained that estate workers who earn Rs. 380 per day are faced with many problems when prices of all essential commodities such as wheat flour and kerosene oil have been increased.

Chandrasekhar urged government to consider granting some relief to estate employees.