The plantation sect(,, eniplol/s a large number of women. This sector provides significant emplo.:ment opportunities to about 1.25 lakh wornen workers.
Table 4.15 shows ,!le percmtage of female labour to total labour employed in these four crops.
Table 4.15
Employment of Women in Plantations (1995-'96)
Plantation No: of women ~~~~l labourers Percentage of female worker:; - labour to total labour
Tea 47.009 83,945 56
Coffee 11,217 24,385 4 6
Rubber 57,500 2,30,000 25
Cardamom 7,260 22,000 3 3
Source: UPASI, Coonoor
The table shows clearly that women workers constitute 56 per cent of the total labour force in tea plantatiola. Women workers in coffee plantations accounts to 46 per cent of total employment. Cardamom plantations occupy the third position in female eniplqyment with 33 percentage. Twenty-five per cent of the labour in rubber plantations are females. The employment of women in the four plantations is shown in Figure 4.18.
Figure -1.18 Employment of Women in the Plantation Sector of Keralu
(1 995-'96)
Tea Coffee Rubber Cardamom
Type of crop
Source: Table 4.15.
4.16 Plantation Labour Compared t o Other Agricultural Labour
Plantation labour, unlike other industries, is open air work and is a special kind of agricultural employnent. It is for this reason, obviously that women are employed in large numbers in the estates than in factories. The work is unskilled and women from villages are far more used to this form of employment than working as skilled hands in other industries.
A peculiar feature of plantation labour, especially those in tea, coffee and cardamom is that plantation labour is recruited on a family basis from distant villages as most of the estates are situated in remote places of high altitudes where workers are not easily available. As a settled labour force is essential, whole families are usuall!~ employed. As wages are lower than in other agncultural jobs, every memb8:r of the family seeks work for economic reasons. Women are also paid less than men and are therefore employed in large numbers.
A distinguishing feature of plantations workers, compared to other agncultural workers, is that they earn a regular income to support the family.
They are one of the most organrsed labour force of the economy Moreover, the mechanisation of the worlts ill plantations do not pause a threat of unemployment to these women workers, as the scope of mechanisation is limited in our state. The socio-economic background of the plantation workers also differ from their counterparts m other crops. They are from different social, racial and cultural groups, each following their own entity.
The most important job on a tea estate is plucking of tea leaves. The harvesting of tea leaves from the bushes in plantation goes by the name of plucking. This is done by careful1.y snapping off the tender shoot between the thumb and first fmger. Basically, the harvest is of a bud and the two tender leaves below it because this is where the highest concenhation of flavour producing chemical is The timing of plucking operation has therefore to be geared to the rate of growth of the new shoots, which of course varies fiom season to season. Plucking, although an apparently simple job, requires a certain degree of skill and great attention.
Two-thirds of the total number of labour-days in tea plantations are ordinarily devoted to plucking,. Women are usually employed in plucking tea leaves, because they are considered cleverer than men in this job. In fact, the plucking of tea leaves is the exclusive occupation of women because a skilled leaf picker is usually a wcrmar., needing little supervision in her work.
I
Moreover, some facts stand out which favours the employment of women.
Women are obviously more isteatly workers and they are also more regular.
The maternal instinct also seems to be exploited. For the sake of keeping their children fed, they are less likely to risk their jobs by absenteeism.
Again by making the wifr: a permanent worker, her husband is kept permanently available for work as and when there is demand. The children can also be drawn upon for cheap labour.
The data on the total num1)er of persons employed in the tea estates in Kerala and Tamil Nadu show that women workers outnumber men. Women
are also employed in weeding and replanting. A few women are given job in the factories also.
In coffee plantations, plucking of coffee bemes is a job where women are preferred to men. They are also employed in kmvath, planting, weeding and separating seeds. Manuring is also (lone by women workers.
In cardamom plantations. collection of ripe cardamom seeds, separating the stalks of the seeds, weeding and replanting are the female jobs.
The major job undertaken by women in rubber plantations is collection of field latex from the rubber trees. They also assist the men in tapping the trees. They have a complementary role in rubber estates.