UTZ Certification
The accreditation of Sri Lanka Standard Institute (SLSI) as a Certification Body for auditing under UTZ tea codes is one of the major achievement for the UTZ certification programme. The Kelaneiya Braemar Estates of Maskeliya were the first to take service of SLSI as certification body for UTZ tea.
Kelaneiya & Braemar Estates, Maskeliya received their UTZ Certificate on 30th September 2011 from Standards Institute of Sri Lanka. The certification covers total of 106.803 hectares with 20 Small growers and 150,000 Kg of yearly production of Orthodox black tea.
With the growing demand for UTZ certified tea from Sri Lanka, ISD moved to the regional plantation companies (RPC) in 2011. UTZ moving to RPC’s, ISD received the first request from Lanka Organics Private Limited for their bio tea plantation at Kotagala. The Harrington estate at Kotagala has gone through the initial scanning process and presently is in the process of improving the status of the field, factory and the workers. The certification process for the Harrington estate will take place in three places since the processing of green leafs are taking place at their Thotalagala factory and the blending and packing is taking place at Athurugiriya factory.
The ISD received a request from Hayley’s plantations for the UTZ certification for their Radella estate at Thalawakalle. The Radella estate is also in the process of quality improvement to the factory and the field for the UTZ certification. They anticipate in receiving the certificate by end of November 2011.
The ISD is expecting to certify another five estates under the UTZ codes by end of the year.
PAST Activities
EDUCATION
To promote the primary and secondary education in the plantation sector ISD had initiated a campaign in 1995 organising a symposium on plantation education and submitted the out come to the policy makers. The policymakers of the country brought number of action plans to uplift the plantation children’s primary education.
OBTAINING CITIZENSHIP
Since 1997, ISD initiated a vigorous campaign for granting citizenship for the remaining four hundred thousand stateless plantation community jointly with trade unions and other civil society organisations. In 2003 the government solved the stateless problem of the community by bringing an amendment to the citizenship act. This is a great achievement of the organisation and the community.
MUSEUM
The institution had created a museum and archive to preserve and protect the cultural heritage of tea plantation worker community. This is the first worker museum in the country and also first tea workers museum of the tea producing countries.
INTERNATIONAL TEA DAY
Through regional network among the tea producing countries ISD was able to declare an International Tea Day to highlight the issues of the plantation workers in local and global arena. The International Tea Day was observed in Sri Lanka and worldwide for the 4th consecutive time this year under the theme of "Empower Women Workers in Tea Plantations". The observance of International Tea Day was declared in 2005 at the World Social Form held in PorteAlgre with consensus of trade unions and civil society works in the Tea producing country with the overall objective to protect the rights of the tea plantation workers and small growers in the context of globalization. The Institute of Social Development and CEC New Delhi played a major role to advocate the consensus and declare the day on 15th December. The first and second International tea Day was observed in 2005 at New Delhi and the Second International Tea Day was observed in Sri Lanka. Following this ITD was observed in respected countries.
DOCUMENTARY
ISD had produced two Docu-drama films highlighting the Day’s life of plantation woman and domestic violence and second one highlighted the cultural taboo of Hindu Tamil girls faced in the society due to puberty related issues.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Additionally, ISD carried out a sensitizing programme on trade union rights and women’s rights among the plantation women workers while advocating on right issues of plantation community. As a result of the sensitization programme, working women created a network called Working Women’s Front (WWF).
NETWORKS
The organization has linkage with local and international networks such as Plantation Sector Social Forum, Forum for Plantation Civil Organization, Janahawakasam, Charka network, South Asian forum for Excluded Women, Tea Alliance, South Asian Forum for CSR and ex-member of AWID. In addition, ISD played an instrumental role in getting the international tea day declared.
RIGHTS
ISD actively involved in areas of civic rights covering gender, labour, and human right specially focussing on plantation sector since this is a marginalized community of Sri Lanka who are deprived of basic human rights. From 2001 onwards, ISD initiated another campaign to win the housing and land right of the plantation workers following the study on housing rights.