The petition filed by plantation companies challenging the Minister of Labor’s gazette notification on setting a minimum daily wage for plantation workers has been withdrawn.
As a result, the Court of Appeal has decided to conclude the proceedings related to the case today (06), according to an Ada Derana reporter.
The petition was filed by 21 plantation companies, including Agarapatana Plantations Ltd., seeking a writ order to invalidate the recent gazette notification issued by the Minister of Labor, which mandated a minimum daily wage for plantation workers. The petitioners argued that the Minister’s decision, made without consulting them, violated the legal principle of natural justice. They claimed that the decision was arbitrary and requested that it be overturned.
However, on July 24, the Labour Ministry issued a new gazette that cancelled the previous one, which had increased the daily wage of plantation workers to Rs. 1,700. The new gazette directed that payments be made through the Wages Board.
Previously, the Minister of Labor had issued a gazette notification setting the minimum daily wage of a plantation worker at Rs. 1,350, along with an allowance of Rs. 300 and an additional Rs. 80 allowance.
