South Asian tea workers call for International Tea Day.

SOUTH ASIA -- A group of workers, small growers and trade unionists states last month that they were launching a campaign urging governments, the UN, ILO and other international agencies to declare December 15th as International Tea Day.

At then end of the two day international tea convention held in Badulla, the group said that such recognition was necessary as the tea sector is among the highest employment providers, sustaining millions of people as workers (a majority of them women) and small growers in the tea producing countries. Also because there is a disproportionate value accrual at the highest end of the value chain that is never passed onto the consumers, producers or workers.

The third International Tea Day (ITD) commemorations took place in Badulla on December 14-15, organized by the Kandy-based Institute of Social Development (ISD) in Sri Lanka with the collaboration of the Plantation Sector Social Forum (PSSF) and Plantation Sector Trade Unions of Sri Lanka. It was held at Hotel Sanastar, Badulla with the chief minister of the Uva Provincial Council, Gamini Wijeyamuni Soysa gracing the occasion as the chief guest. Indian trade union leader Ashim Roy, secretary general of the New Trade Union Initiative in India and senior Sri Lankan plantation trade unionists, small tea growers, researchers and members of civil society organizations dealing with the tea plantation sector participated at the conference.

The main aim of the conference was to re-emphasize the proposed International Commodity Agreement for Tea. Four sessions were included in the conference and the following areas were discussed in the conference: leasing, sub-leasing and contract labour; Uva plantation issues; plantation migrant labor issues; 10-year plantation plan; and crisis in the wage structure and the living wage.