Fairtrade Certified Tea and Flower Estates in Sri Lanka Complete 10-Day Course on Labour Relations
Fairtrade NAPP and the National Institute of Labour Studies ran a certificate course in Kotagala from August to October 2026 for estate staff, trade union representatives and plantation managers.
Estate Staff and Union Representatives Study Labour Law Side by Side
Eleven staff members from four Fairtrade certified plantation companies in Sri Lanka, Bogawantalawa Tea Estates, Horana Plantations, Hatton Plantations and Tropiflora, have completed a 10-day Certificate Course in Labour Relations and Workplace Management. The Fairtrade Network of Asia and Pacific Producers (Fairtrade NAPP) organised the course with the National Institute of Labour Studies (NILS), which operates under Sri Lanka's Ministry of Labour. Held in Kotagala on Fridays and Saturdays from 28 August to 3 October 2026, it brought together 56 people, including trade union representatives and staff from estates outside Fairtrade. Fairtrade Standards ask estates to manage their workforce fairly and responsibly, and that work is strongest when it also matches national labour law.
Where Fairtrade Standards Meet Sri Lankan Labour Law
Fairtrade NAPP led sessions that placed Fairtrade requirements alongside Sri Lanka's labour legislation and showed where the two connect in daily estate work. For Welfare Officers, Field Officers and Assistant Managers, two sets of rules now read as one practical reference. Staff are better placed to check a workplace practice against both and to spot gaps early. NILS experts added sessions on workers' rights, national and international labour legislation, and the constitutional rights and responsibilities of workers and unions.
Case Law Brings Labour Legislation to Life
Practicing lawyers joined NILS as resource persons and took the group through higher-court judgments and case law, including rulings on collective bargaining and disciplinary matters. Reading how courts have interpreted the law gives estate staff a clearer sense of how legislation applies to real situations. It also shows why fair procedure matters at every step, from the first time a worker raises a concern to a formal disciplinary hearing.
Spotting Workplace Concerns Before they Become Disputes
Modules on workplace communication, conflict resolution and industrial harmony focused on prevention. Through group exercises built on real plantation situations, staff practiced identifying issues at an early stage and choosing the right procedure to resolve them. Timely, consistent grievance handling supports trust between workers and management, and gives each estate a clear way to respond when workers raise a concern.
Medical, Welfare and Field Teams Learning from One Another
The Fairtrade certified estates sent staff from a wide range of roles: Assistant Managers, Medical Officers, Welfare Officers, Child Development Officers and Field Officers. Working alongside trade union representatives and colleagues from other plantation companies, they compared how each workplace handles everyday labour matters. Having union representatives in the same room gave management staff a fuller picture of worker-management relations from both sides.
A Course That Tests What Was Learned
Each participant sat a written examination and delivered a group presentation as part of the NILS assessment, with at least 75 percent attendance required to sit the exam. The presentations asked teams to apply course content to labour issues they meet at work. Those who meet the required standard will receive a NILS Certificate of Accomplishment once the evaluation panel completes its review.
From Certificate Holders to In-House Resource Persons
Fairtrade NAPP will encourage the trained staff to apply the knowledge and tools from the course within their own estates. The longer-term opportunity is for them to act as internal resource persons, sharing what they learned with colleagues and widening the pool of labour relations expertise across Fairtrade certified plantations. Fitting an extensive syllabus around demanding estate duties, and bringing together staff with different levels of experience, offer useful lessons for planning future courses.