The Hindu Business Line : Cardamom estates hit by strike

Kochi, Aug. 18 Strike by workers in Kerala’s cardamom plantations at the peak time of harvesting has led to a halt in the picking of capsules and other farm management activities. If the strike continues for another week, it could not only result in suspension of the auctions but also would inflict losses on the industry.

About 80,000 workers have gone on an indefinite strike from August 13 demanding mainly hike in their wages, which they alleged, has not been revised during the past six years.

“We have asked the management to raise the daily wages from Rs 100.48 a day to Rs 175,” a trade union leader in Udumbanchola in Idukki told Business Line.

Contract labourers

Idukki, the spices district, has the largest area under cardamom with an area of over 32,000 hectares out of the total 41,362 hectares in Kerala in 2006-07 employing around 60,000 workers. The trade union leaders alleged that the management has been employing contract labourers brought from outside spending Rs 170-175 a day on each worker.

“When we demanded a hike they have been adamant.” Meanwhile, management sources said the workers were demanding daily wages on par with workers in rubber plantations which “we cannot afford to pay”.

At the recent meeting with the Minister, they had agreed to hike the daily wages to Rs 121.56. The Minister had agreed to convene a meeting on August 23 of all concerned, they said.

If the strike continued for another week, the losses would be heavy, Mr Ziauddin Ahamed, Executive Committee Member of the Kerala Cardamom Growers’ Union, Cumbum, told Business Line. Auctioneers said if the strike continued they would be compelled to suspend the auctions from Wednesday. On Sunday 25 tonnes harvested last week and from stocks held by farmers arrived at the KCPMC auction and the entire quantity was sold out.

The prices moved up by Rs 10 a kg. Maximum price fetched was Rs 779.50 a kg, while the minimum Rs 480 a kg. Average price moved up to Rs 596 a kg, Mr P.C. Punnoose, General Manager, CPMC, told Business Line.

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