Over 900 Arasu Rubber Plantation Workers Protest For Wage Hike, Job Regularisation
10 Sept 2026 5:14 PM IST10 Sept 2026 5:14 PM IST
More than 900 workers of the Arasu Rubber Corporation staged a one-day protest in front of the corporation’s headquarters here on Wednesday, demanding immediate wage revision and regularisation of casual workers.
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Kanyakumari: More than 900 workers of the Arasu Rubber Corporation staged a one-day protest in front of the corporation’s headquarters here on Wednesday, demanding immediate wage revision and regularisation of casual workers.
The corporation employs nearly 500 permanent workers and more than 400 casual labourers in its four divisions — Manalodai, Keeriparai, Chittar and Kodaiyar — with rubber plantations spread across nearly 3,500 hectares in Kanyakumari district. Its factory is located at Keeriparai.
The workers said their wage agreement expired in November 2025 and they had been urging the management since December to initiate negotiations for a fresh three-year agreement. However, no talks had been held so far, they said.
The plantation workers have demanded that their daily wage, including basic pay and variable dearness allowance, be increased from Rs 650 to Rs 1,200. They have also sought the regularisation of casual workers as permanent employees.
Corporation sources, however, said the management was yet to receive the list of recognised unions required to initiate negotiations on the new wage agreement.
The workers said the strike was organised to press for an early settlement of their demands. The strike is estimated to have caused a revenue loss of around Rs 30 lakh to the government.
They urged the management and the State government to intervene immediately and resolve the wage and job regularisation issues instead of forcing the workers to resort to repeated protests.
The workers said their wage agreement expired in November 2025 and they had been urging the management since December to initiate negotiations for a fresh three-year agreement. However, no talks had been held so far, they said.
The plantation workers have demanded that their daily wage, including basic pay and variable dearness allowance, be increased from Rs 650 to Rs 1,200. They have also sought the regularisation of casual workers as permanent employees.
Corporation sources, however, said the management was yet to receive the list of recognised unions required to initiate negotiations on the new wage agreement.
The workers said the strike was organised to press for an early settlement of their demands. The strike is estimated to have caused a revenue loss of around Rs 30 lakh to the government.
They urged the management and the State government to intervene immediately and resolve the wage and job regularisation issues instead of forcing the workers to resort to repeated protests.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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