Around 150 employees of the failed Golden Key Credit (GK) Card Company staged a protest demonstration on Tuesday morning near the residence of Nihal Peiris, who is overseeing the functions of the company, demanding that the management take prompt action to pay their salaries, overtime, and other payments for the month of February.
The workers said if their services are terminated the company should enter into an agreement with the staff on the payment of compensation and other dues payable to them. The company collapsed late last year and most of its directors including Ceylinco Consolidated Chairman Lalith Kotelawala and former GK Deputy Chairman Khavan Perera are in remand custody in connection with a fraud at the company, and the need to return some Rs. 26 billion collected from depositors.
Mr Peiris is currently Deputy Chairman of Ceylinco Financial Consultancy Co and according to staff is overseeing the GK work. Last week in a letter to The Sunday Time FT he said he was not the acting Deputy Chairman of GK and nor has been appointed a director there.
Workers were not allowed into the Ceylinco housing scheme where Mr Peiris lives and carried out their protest outside the entrance to the scheme. They chanted slogans carrying placards and posters condemning the action taken by Mr Peiris to disconnect water and power supply and preventing the workers to enter the office premises.
Earlier unions representing the 512 workers including security guards said the workers will stage protest demonstrations in front of the houses of directors of the Ceylinco group until they receive assurances on their salaries and compensation payment, in case of termination of employment.
An official of the Inter Company Employees said Tuesday’s protest was the beginning of their protest campaign. He said employees are in deep distress as they have lost their livelihood and the government should intervene to solve the problem of depositors and workers as the situation has worsened. |
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