No Written Assurance on Estate Workers’ Wage Increase – Harin Fernando

25-Feb-2026

.

UNP Deputy General Secretary Harin Fernando stated that there is no written assurance regarding the recent wage increase for estate workers and suggested that it may eventually be exposed as political theatrics.

Speaking at a media briefing held at former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s political office on February 23, he said the increase had been granted based on a request by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and an understanding with plantation companies.

He noted that a similar request was made during Wickremesinghe’s presidency but was not accepted by companies at the time.

Fernando pointed out that the estate workforce has declined from 300,000 to around 60,000 and stressed the need to protect the sector. He supported MP Jeevan Thondaman’s assertion that the wage increase lacks formal documentation and predicted that the reality would become evident in due course.