Arasu Rubber Corporation Limited’s (ARCL) latex tappers working in Keeriparai division have expressed their concern over the corporation’s decision of outsourcing the tappers for around 4,600 trees, stating that the move would adversely affect their livelihood.
Opposing the decision of ARCL, around 85 workers including permanent and contract workers have been staging protests in Keeriparai for the past one week.
The issue arose after around 18 hectares of rubber plantation in Keeriparai was earmarked for the establishment of a bio diversity park by the forest department, which subsequently floated a tender for the project. As no bidders came forward, currently ARCL has outsourced contract workers to carry out latex tapping on about 4,600 trees in the area. This has triggered strong opposition among the existing workforce in Keeriparai region.
Vijayan, a permanent worker at ARCL, said that the corporation outsourced tapping work without holding any discussions with the workers. He added that the Keeriparai division has nearly 65 permanent workers and the introduction of contract labourers will further diminish employment opportunities for them.
Mr. Vijayan noted, “We (the workers) have been trying to communicate with the MD of ARCL for the past one week, but he has been unavailable.”
Valasai Kumar, general secretary, Kanniyakumari District Estate Workers Union highlighted the number of permanent workers in ARCL has already significantly decreased and further reliance on contract labour will worsen the situation.
He urged the ARCL administration to immediately assign the tapping of 4,600 trees to the existing workforce of the corporation.
Speaking on the issue, a senior official from ARCL said that contract based latex tappers already existed in Kodhayar and Kuttiyar divisions. He added, “We require at least 18 tappers for 4,600 trees and we are currently facing shortage of workers. For this reason, we decided to hire additional labour on a contract basis.”
Published – December 08, 2025 08:41 pm IST
