Paradigm Shift on Labour and Employment in Plantation Sector: An Indian Scenario

Abstract

The plantation sector employs both organized and unorganized laborers. The Plantation Labour Act makes it mandatory for every plantation with 50 or more women workers to afford crèche amenities. Business activity model were slightly changed under open market economy. Planters aim to produce larger quantities as compared to competitive countries like China, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia etc. This resulted in high cost of production mainly because of climatically and soil condition of our local (indigenous) plantation products, like tea, coffee, cardamom. In the current day of labour promotion, the elimination of contractual work in the plantation is prescribed by the Act. But, it is practiced in the way of indirect method. The labourer who wants to do more work on the basis of additional quantity is producing. They are engaged only the work based additional remuneration is paid. There is no time limit for regularize to the labourers. The outline of wage purpose is reasonably uniform in the plantation sector throughout the South Asian region.