This document summarizes labor issues faced by workers at Kannan Devan Hills Plantation in Munnar, India. It describes how the region was developed for tea plantations in the late 19th century. In recent years, workers have been demanding higher wages as the last wage agreement expired in 2014. In 2015, the company cut bonuses from 19% to 8.33%, sparking protests led by the women's group Pengal Otrumai. After months of negotiations, the women's leadership and demands helped achieve a more favorable resolution for the workers.

1. LABOUR ISSUES IN KANNAN DEVAN
PLANTATION HILLS,
MUNNAR
PRESENTED BY: Mithun G. Nair
ROLL NO: 26

2. MUNNAR
Munnar is a town and hill station located in Idukki
district of the southwestern Indian state of Kerala.
Munnar is situated around 1600 meters above sea level,
In the western Ghats range of mountains.
The name Munnar is believed mean “three rivers”
referring to its location at the confluence of
Mudhirapuzha, Nallathanni and kundaly rivers.

3. The early history of Munnar is not perfectly known
today. Early inhabitants of the region are members
of Muthuvan tribal community. However it remained
the world and unexplored landscape till the later half
of 19th century when ambitious planters from Europe.

4. PLANTATION ERA
 Munnar came to known to outside world by the visit
of British resident of then Travancore kingdom John
Daniel Munro in the 1870s.He visited the place as
part of settling border dispute between Travancore
and nearby state of madras.
 He literally fell in the beauty of the region.

5.  Though munnar region fell under the jurisdiction of
Travancore family, it was jenma land of poonjar royal
family.
 Without wasting any time Munro visited the poonjar
palace met head of royal family Rohini Thirunal
Kerala verma valiya Raja.
 Munro formed the north Travancore land planting and
agricultural society in 1879.

6. coffee
cardamom
cinchona
MEMBERS OF COMMUNITY STARTED
CULTIVATION OF CROP

7.  However these crops were later abandoned when tea
was found to be ideal for the crop.
 Thus kannan devan hills produce company was
formed in 1897.

8. Planters Get a Set Back
In the year 1924 the plantation of Munnar suffered a
major set back due to disastrous monsoon, heavy
Landslides ,loss of property and life.
Large scale replanting was carried out in a few months.

9. ENTRY OF TATA
 In 1964 TATA group entered into collaboration
with FINLAY group. Which resulted in the formation
of TATA-FINLAY group.
 TATA tea in its real sense originated in the year 1983.
when James Finlay sold their shares completely to
TATA

10.  Tea estates of tatas in north through their north Indian
plantations operation (NIPO) are spread over the
estates of west Bengal and Assam.
 South India especially poor of quality compared to
north.
 Thus they opted to exit from tea business in munnar.

11. Thus three option we open before them.
* Handover the plantation to government.
* sell the estate to private party.
* To come with anew suitable business
model.

12.  Third option was preferred over the other two.
EBO model (employee buy out model)
 where employees themselves became partly the
owners of the company. (19% stake with Tata)

13.  In April 2005 kannan devan hills plantation company
pvt ltd was born.

14. RECENT LABOUR ISSUES IN MUNNAR
&
RISE OF PENGAL OTRUMAI

15.  Large sections of workers are descendants of slave
laborers brought by British in munnar from Tamil
nadu to work early plantation in munnar. Most of
them belonged to scheduled castes such as pallar,
parayar and chakkiliar.
 From very early days, management policies
threatened estate laborers. Prevent them from going
search of other jobs.

16.  Even after the abolishing of slavery , their conditions
more or less remained unchanged or soon they
succumbed to new forms of slavery.
 Work is supposed to start at eight in the morning and
end by five. It is a tedious affair and they have to
climb up and down the steep slopes with basket that
weigh them down, braving the cold , wild insects and
animals.

17. The last wage revision agreement in plantation sector
in Kerala came into effect on 2011 may. According to
this provision a laborer who gathered a minimum
quantity of 21 kilogram leaves a day would get Rs232.

18.  The validity of agreement came to an end on
December 31, 2014.the workers have been
demanding a wage revision ever since.
 In 2013-2014 company declared a bonus of 19%.In
2015 company claimed profit had come down sharply
and there will be a bonus cut this led to a trigger for
agitation.

19.  On 22 august 2015 ,the workers were eagerly
expecting a wage hike the kannan devan management
announced that a general body meeting of the
shareholders of company (which supposedly include
workers too) had decided to cut yearly bonus to 8.33
percent.
 10 months this followed ,eight plantation labor
commission meetings were held and were unwilling
to increase wages without concurrent increase in
output.

20.  The government remained complacent ; unrest grew
among the workers.
 The women under the banner “pengal otrumai”
(women's unity) soon gained the empathy of entire
state and launched a sathyagraha at munnar and
choose not to be the Part of any trade union.
 The leadership emerged among them.
Lissy Sunny, Gomathy,Rajeswari,Jayalakshmi.

21. They said
“ enough is enough. We will speak for ourselves.
we have lost faith in trade unions. We will form
our own unions. We want to represent ourselves
in plantation labor committee meetings. We
would rather die than go back on our demands.”

22.  Finally their demands got a fruitful result