Sri Lanka, Oct. 18 -- A discussion scheduled to be held yesterday (October 17) at the Department of Labour regarding the increase in estate workers' wages had to be postponed as estate employers failed to attend.

Estate worker trade unions accused the employers' refusal to attend the talks of being a disregard for the law of the country. The government recently decided to increase the daily wage of estate workers from Rs. 1,350 to Rs. 1,700.

This decision was made to increase the wages of estate workers in parallel with the salary increases provided for the state and private sectors in the last budget.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had also emphasised the need to pay a living wage to estate workers to uplift their standard of livi...