Thondaman's heir comes of age

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, MARCH 19. The agitation in Sri Lanka's tea estates which ended last week in a wage hike for the labourers, has helped the leader of the largest trade union-cum-political party representing the tea workers, Mr. Armugham Thondaman, finally win his political spurs, his supporters said.

But political rivals are describing the settlement as ``too little, too late'' and the political mileage Mr. Thondaman might have gained out of this as ``a temporary phenomenon''.

Shedding his image of a rake and wastrel who spent more time in Chennai and Singapore than with his constituents, Mr. Thondaman recently staged a 25-day satyagraha at Hatton near Nuwara Eliya in central Sri Lanka, demanding an increase in workers' wages by Rs. 400 ($4.7) a month.

The satyagraha had a ripple effect on the estates where workers went on a ``go-slow'' that according to the plantation industry, caused losses of upto Rs. 800 million for 21 companies.

Last Thursday, the management companies agreed to give the workers a raise of Rs. 225 a month, increasing the basic daily wage from Rs. 107 to Rs. 116. They also agreed to an additional Rs. 5 a day for 75 per cent attendance, against the earlier Rs. 14 a day for 90 per cent attendance, that many workers found difficult to achieve.

Personal victory

``This is a personal victory for Mr. Armugham Thondaman. He has shown he is not just a young man enjoying the perks of office but a leader who can stand up for his people,'' said Mr. R. Yogarajan, one of the five MPs representing the Ceylon Workers Congress. The CWC is a partner in the ruling People's Alliance, and Mr. Thondaman is a Cabinet Minister.

When the management companies refused to relent to the wage hike demand, Mr. Thondaman threatened to resign from the Government and set March 16 as the deadline for this.

With a vote on the second reading of the budget scheduled for Monday, this was hardly a risk that the Government wanted to take, especially with reports that the opposition United National Party (UNP) was attempting to woo PA members to its side in an attempt to bring down the Government during the vote.

Faced with Mr. Thondaman's threat, the Government moved in to resolve the agitation, much to the dismay of the management companies for whom the agreement implies an additional annual outlay of Rs. 500 million on wages. ``We cannot afford the additional burden but we were bullied into the agreement because the government's survival was at stake,'' complained one plantation owner.

But the CWC is jubilant. ``It shows that the companies and political leaders will take Mr. Thondaman seriously hereafter,'' said Mr. Yogarajan. It has also strengthened Mr. Thondaman's leadership over the CWC, under challenge since he took over the reins after the death of his grandfather, Sauvmiyamoorthy Thondaman, in October 1999.

Mr. Yogarajan said the CWC dissidents had been ``wiped clean out'' of the leadership stakes. ``The people are clearly with us, and have shown that they are willing to accept another Thondaman as their leader.'' Moreover, those who had left the CWC long ago and formed their own unions, such as Mr. P. Chandrashekhar of the Up- Country People's Front and Mr. Sellasamy, had demonstrated that they could work ``under'' Mr. Thondaman.

But his political rivals remained reluctant to accept that the stripling had come of age. ``It is not a settlement at all. The increase in the monthly wage is too little and does no offset the cost of living that has gone up by 25 per cent to 30 per cent,'' said the CWC dissident MP, Mr. P. P. Devaraj.

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