Police assault prompts estate strike

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 March 1999, 15:55 GMT]
More than four thousand workers in four tea estates of the Issa Ella group in the Matale district went on strike last night in protest against Police assault on a Tamil night watchman in one of the plantations.

More than fifteen thousand workers of eleven more estates of the plantation group are expected to join the strike tomorrow.

A spokesman for the striking workers told TamiNet that the strike was not organised by any trade union.

He said that workers are joining the strike regardless of their trade union affiliations.

The spokesman added that the protest was against the manner in which the estate management, particularly Sinhala superintendents are intimidating estate workers with the assistance of the Police.