NAGERCOIL: For 22 days now, latex has not been collected from a majority of the rubber trees in Kanniyakumari district. Unrest has caught hold of the Arasu Rubber Corporation workers, roughly 2,000 in number, who have struck work since February 17, seeking wage hike. With their primary source of income cut off, the strike has left many of the workers much concerned about their survival day to day, which situation seems to have no end, as the multiple tripartite talks - 50 since the end of 2016 - held have not resolved the issue yet.
Multiple talks in vain
Triennially, the daily wages of the workers would be revised by the corporation. For over three years, since December 1, 2016, the workers have been demanding a wage hike of Rs 80. Kanniyakumari District Estate Workers' Union (attached with the CITU) General Secretary M Valsakumar said that the corporation provided an interim wage hike of Rs 23 a day in July 2018, which, in a Government Order, was made permanent in late 2019. Despite several talks held between unions, management and assistant commissioner of labour (conciliation), no settlement was reached, he said. "Following this, around 2,000 workers, including rubber tapping workers, factory and field workers, belonging to six unions, went on a strike on February 17. Ever since the interim hike was announced in 2018, we have participated in tripartite talks for around 10 times, including those held on February 12, 18, 23 and 28," he added. Many of the workers said that they have been losing their daily wages by staging the strike, and urged the authorities to reach an amicable solution soon.
Tough times
Valsakumar said that Rs 481 is being provided to each worker as daily wage, and that only Rs 100 is given per day as an allowance, as they wouldn't get work during rainy days. He sought the authorities concerned to take steps to increase the wage hike, considering the state of the workers.
Annai Sonia Rahul General Workers' Union District General Secretary N Kumaran said that the six unions had sent strike notice to the corporation on January 21. "The interim wage hike of Rs 23 per day is not enough. Despite over 20 days of strike, no settlement has arrived," he added.
P Nadarajan, a rubber plantation worker, said that his family is dependent only on the rubber plantation work, and has no other source of income. He said that his family has been struggling to make the ends meet, as they wouldn't receive daily wages during the time of the strike. "With no income, how can we support the education of our children," he said, adding that rubber tapping has not been carried out during the time of the strike.
Union sources said, as no solution has arrived, they were making efforts to meet the Chief Minister in Chennai.
Deduction from pay opposed
Union sources said that each worker is supposed to collect every day 24 litres of latex from trees (eight kilograms of rubber when dried), and upon failing to meet the target, money, accordingly, would be deducted from the salary of the respective workers. The corporation authorities said that the workers are being provided with incentives, when they exceed the target. However, the workers demand the corporation to put an end to the system of deducting money from their wages.
'Making a loss'
Arasu Rubber Corporation Limited Managing Director Nihar Ranjan told TNIE that the workers were being paid high wages, along with bonuses. "As the Arasu Rubber Corporation has been incurring loss, we are not in a financial position to hike wages anymore. We have requested the unions to accept the Rs 23 wage hike and end the strike," he said.
With a total of 4,000 hectares of plantations, Arasu Rubber Corporation -- functioning under the Department of Environment and Forests -- has plantations in Keeriparai, Manoladai, Kodayar and Chithar divisions, with a factory being situated in Keeriparai. As many as 938 paid workers, including 240 repatriates from Sri Lanka, and around 65o casual workers are employed by the corporation.