The 3^rd International Tea Conference and The International Tea Day Celebrations – 14^th and 15^th December 2007 at Badulla, Sri Lanka 

The 3^rd International Tea Day (ITD) commemorations took place in Badulla. Sri Lanka, which was organized by the Institute of Social Development (ISD) in Sri Lanka with the collaboration of the Plantation Sector Social Forum (PSSF) and Plantation Sector Trade Unions of Sri Lanka, from the 14^th to the 15^th of December 2007. The 3^rd ITD celebrations in Sri Lanka mainly concentrated around two events. One event was the conference which was held on the 14^th of December 2007 and the second event was the mass rally held on the 15^th of December 2007.

The Conference was held at Hotel Sanastar, Badulla. The chief minister of the Uva Provincial Council Honourable Gamini Wijith Wijeyamuni Soysa graced the occasion as the chief guest. The Indian Trade Union Leader  Mr. Ashim Roy  the Secretary General of the New Trade Union Initiative, in India and Senior Sri Lankan plantation trade unionists, small tea growers, researchers, and members of civil society organizations dealing with the tea plantation sector participated for the 3^rd International Tea Day conference.  

The principle aim of the tea day conference was to reemphasize on proposing an International Commodity Agreement for tea and Shadow International Tea Committee. Four sessions were included in the conference and the following areas were discussed in the conference: 

-         Leasing, subleasing and contract labour

-         Uva plantation issues

-         Plantation migrant labour issues

-         Ten year plantation plan

-         Crisis in wage structure and living wage  

Further, Mr. Ashim Roy addressed the gathering on international tea crisis and solidarity and read out the solidarity message from India. The conference concluded with adopting declarations.  

Following the conference, on the 15^th of December the Plantation Sector Social Forum, Trade Unions, Civil society Organizations and the Institute of Social Development jointly organized a mass Rally and a procession. However, due to the rainy weather condition in Badulla the procession was canceled and the rally was held at the Sanasta Hotel Hall Badulla, Sri Lanka. About 1000 tea plantation workers and plantation small growers and veteran trade unionists participated in the rally. The problems and pressing issues faced by the tea plantation workers were discussed in the rally. Finally, the Uva Declaration prepared at the conference, was read out to the crowd that was assembled at the Sanastar Hotel Hall, and the audience stood in solidarity and adopted the resolution in one voice.  

UVA (Sri Lanka ) DECLARATION 

We, a collective of Trade Unions, Plantation Worker Federations, Small Tea Grower Organizations, and Civil Society Organizations of Sri Lanka  with the representative of  the Indian Trade Union federation  holding  the 3^rd International Tea Day at  Uva  on the 14^th and 15^th of December 2007  reaffirm the principles of  the declaration of New Delhi 2005 and Kandy (Sri Lanka)2006. 

We campaign for the 15^th of December to be declared as the International Tea Day by National Governments, UNO, ILO and other International Agencies.  

The conference recognizes in general that, 

• The Tea Sector, among the highest employment providers, sustains millions of people as workers (a majority of them women) and small growers in the tea producing countries
• There is disproportionate value accrual at the highest end of the value chain, it is never passed on to the consumers, producers or workers
• The concentration of power by brands and retailers is increasing the deprivation and vulnerability of the primary producers and workers
• The burden of ‘crisis’ in the tea industry is unjustifiably passed on to workers and small growers, and it is not reflected in the profitability of the industry
• We urge the stakeholders to take meaning full steps to introduce “floor price” and reform auction system to facilitate.
• Governments are abdicating their responsibility in the regulations of production, pricing of tea and the welfare of workers and small growers
• The tea industry can sustain its workers and producers and acknowledge the need for a global response

The tea day conference internationally we call for  

• Ensuring living wages and decent working and living conditions for tea workers , and providing remunerative prices for the small growers

International tea day conference and tea day observation in Uva, Sri Lanka re-emphasize on  

1. Proposing an International Commodity Agreement for tea: The existing tea trade practices are directed more towards the stakeholders of the value chain. There is no trickling down of the benefits of trade to workers and small producers at the lower end. There is a great need to regulate tea trade internationally and to ensure the redistribution of the advantages of trade to workers and small growers.
2. Shadow International Tea Committee: The exiting international tea committee is not equipped to address the issues of international tea trade. There is a proposal to form a shadow international tea committee to voice the concerns of different stakeholders pertaining to production, market access, auction, price control and other aspects of trade.

The 3^rd International Tea Day conference furthermore drew special attention to the followings issues of the Uva Province Tea Workers some of which are common to the entire plantation sector 

• Leasing, sub leasing, fragmentation of plantation, sub contract and imposition of out grower system in the  plantation
• Child labour of Tea Plantation being employed in the sugar plantation, -Moneragala
• Displacement of workers from their residences for urbanization with out allernatives (Kumaradola Estate)
• Closure of estates and abundant  of productive land
• Casualization of labour
•  Denial of  the right to ownership of land and housing
• Violation of reproductive right of women
• Insufficient infra-structure facilities for tea small holders
• Review the permit system for collection of green leaves to ensure fair deal for the stakeholders
• Ensure residential  rights of estate migrant youths
• Ensure strict implementation of labour laws and terms and condition of collective agreement
• Implementation of Tamil Language rights
• The tea industry can sustain its workers and producers and acknowledge the need for a global response.
• There is uneven value accrual at the higher end of the value chain.
• The absence of a mechanism to ensure the redistribution of the benefits of trade to workers and small growers.
• There is a highly fluctuating market for tea mediated by market forces.
• There is unprecedented and prolonged fall in prices of the primary commodity market manipulation in the context of organization of the industry and global trade under WTO.
• The tea conference holds upon the government of Sri Lanka to take positive action to implement a ten year national plan or action plan for social development.