In the wake of the present situation in which curfew had to be imposed by the State to control the spread of COVID–19 the Government announced that salaries of all state employees should be paid by March 23, 2020.
It is learnt that all State organisations and departments have complied with this order and deposited the salaries of the employees to their bank accounts on March 23, enabling them to purchase the essentials.
State organizations normally pay salaries on the completion of 30 days’ work, i.e. around the 25th to 30th of each month while the employees have the option to obtain an advance from the 10th to 12th of each month.
However, many incidents have been reported island-wide about some private sector employers neglecting the needs of their employees during this crisis period. The method adopted by some private sector establishments is totally different and it seems they do not have any obligation towards payment of salaries to their employees.
There are various categories of private sector companies in Sri Lanka and this breach is mostly observed in the manufacturing sector.
These companies seem to enjoy ample liberty in regard to time periods in settling the dues of their employees. Most of these companies pay the wages on the 10th of the following month, i.e. after 40 days of completion of work while some are said to pay the Executive staff on the 15th of the following month, i.e 45 days after completion of work.
It is not clear whether the Labour Department and the Board of Investment are authorised to provide relief to the employees of the private sector in this instance.
When the Government has given a clear directive for the organisations to adhere to the humanitarian requirements of workers these companies have no right to neglect it.
Unfortunately this matter has not been brought to the notice of the authorities yet. Most employees in the manufacturing sector in Colombo are mainly from outstation regions and live in hostels or rented houses. During a crisis of this nature they are helpless in an unknown city. Everything in Colombo is provided for money and nothing is available for free.
The excuse of the employers is that due to the curfew they were unable to effect the payment of salaries. This cannot be accepted as a valid reason as the Banks were open from time to time and ready to do any transaction.
Normally Government establishments are blamed for inefficiency, but this time round
the Government sector has succeeded in complying with the orders.
It is unfortunate that some private sector organisations have failed to fulfil the fundamental requirements of its employees despite clear instructions being given by the Government.
It has been reported that employees in some construction firms have not been paid wages for the last 2 – 3 months. These matters should be looked into by the Opposition and the Trade Unions too without merely blaming the Government for everything. The former Opposition Leader and the Opposition parties seem to be silent on these matters.
The Government is currently entangled in the task of controlling COVID–19, and the Opposition parties do have a responsibility to provide the infrastructure to the citizens.
The majority of the people of the country has faith in the Government, and look forward to some relief whether in the government or the private sector, and require their wages at this moment of crisis. Therefore I personally appeal to the President and the Prime Minister to assist these unfortunate citizens who are handicapped due to the negligence of some private sector organisations.