Estate workers in Bogawantalawa are protesting against the use of electronic scales to weigh plucked tea leaves.
Workers from several tea estates in the area started an agitation in front of Kotiyagala tea factory on February 22.
With factory management requiring them to pluck 18 kgs of tea leaves to earn a Rs. 1,000 wage, the newly-introduced electronic scales show five kgs less than the actual amount.
The workers are staying away from work until the electronic scales are replaced by the old ones.
They have lodged a complaint with the police against the management’s refusal to accept the tea leaves they had plucked on the first day of the protest.
According to the estate management, it has been the practice for a long time to reduce a certain amount to compensate for the moisture in the freshly-plucked tea leaves.
