Sri Lanka’s Estate Workers to Receive Historic Wage Hike

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has proposed a significant increase in the minimum daily wage of the estate workers as part of Sri Lanka’s 2026 Budget.

The President announced that the current minimum daily wage of Rs. 1,350 for estate workers will be raised to Rs. 1,550 starting January 2026. In addition to this wage increase, the government will introduce a daily attendance incentive of Rs. 200, effectively raising the potential daily earnings of estate workers to Rs. 1,750.

“It is our position that estate workers should be paid a fair daily wage commensurate with their service,” President Dissanayake stated. 

To support this initiative, the government has earmarked Rs. 5,000 million in the upcoming fiscal year. The allocation is expected to directly benefit thousands of families across Sri Lanka’s plantation sector, many of whom have struggled with stagnant wages and poor living conditions for decades.