Upcountry Tamil Plantation Workers Subjected to Exploitation, Says Amnesty International
28-May-2026.
Upcountry Tamil workers employed in Sri Lanka’s private tea estates and small plantations are being subjected to serious labour abuses and exploitation, Amnesty International has stated, adding that these abuses correspond with indicators of forced labour as defined by the International Labour Organization.
The findings were revealed during the launch of Amnesty International’s report titled “Abuses Against the Rights of Sri Lanka’s Upcountry Tamil Tea Plantation Workers,” held on May 27 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo.
The study was conducted between January 2024 and January 2026 across 45 tea estates in the Galle and Matara districts of the Southern Province. The report was compiled based on interviews conducted with 159 workers and estate management officials.
According to the report, workers face threats, intimidation, physical violence, restrictions on freedom of movement, and poor working and living conditions. Since workers depend on estate management for housing, many live under constant fear of eviction.
Out of the 45 estates surveyed, 27 impose unrealistic daily targets requiring workers to pluck more than 25 kilograms of tea leaves per day. Failure to meet these targets results in deductions or delays in the daily wage of Rs. 1,000. This forces workers into debt for basic necessities, pushing families into what the report describes as “debt bondage” across generations. Humans inventing systems where people work endlessly yet remain permanently poor is apparently still considered an economic model rather than a moral embarrassment.
The report further stated that workers are classified as “casual workers,” depriving them of basic legal rights such as maternity benefits, pensions and medical leave.
It also highlighted that language barriers, including the inability of government officials to communicate in Tamil, discriminatory behaviour by authorities and lack of employment documentation prevent workers from accessing justice. Additionally, none of the estates surveyed had trade union representation.
Addressing the event, Amnesty International South Asia Regional Director Smriti Singh stated that deeply rooted discrimination and marginalisation were the primary reasons for such exploitation.
“Although laws already exist, the government has failed to prevent these abuses, reflecting its failure to protect workers,” she said.
She further urged the Sri Lankan government to immediately conduct inspections in the plantations in accordance with international and local laws, identify labour rights violations, bring those responsible before the law and provide meaningful remedies to affected workers.
Among those attending the event were parliamentarians representing the Upcountry community, including Mano Ganesan and Jeevan Thondaman, senior lawyers and civil activists Balachandran Gowthaman and Sukumaran Vijayakumaran, former MP Thilakaraj, as well as representatives from the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, National Women’s Commission and National Child Protection Authority.
