SL’s 9.5 mln workers must be consulted on social market economy concept, trade union says
View(s):Sri Lanka’s nearly 9.5 million public and private sector workers need to be stakeholders in deciding policy to have social justice in a competitive market economy given the discussion by some political parties towards a social market economy, a trade union group said.
Anton Marcus, Co-Secretary of the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union (FTZGSEU), in a letter to political parties contesting the August election, also urged that a National Labour Utility policy be established for service and production sector employment.
The letter says that political parties have completely forgotten the private sector employees that consist of nearly 800,000 people and their wage increases.
It has urged that whoever comes to power should ensure:
- A minimum wage of Rs. 15,000 for the private sector employees
- Parliament implements the proposed Rs. 2,500 salary increase in full as proposed in the Interim 2015 budget
- Real and current value of the cost of living index is gazetted as Rs. 280.
- Bills and Acts are passed in parliament to secure the right to organise and for collective bargaining.
- All court systems recognise the right to launch strikes, stop using court orders against strikes and reinstate all employees whose services have been terminated for participating in strikes.
- Laws are drafted to make permanent all the employees who have worked for more than 180 days in regular service.
- Discontinuing the practice of recruitment on temporary basis through manpower agencies or any other way for the regular service (core areas), introducing laws to that effect and also bring in necessary laws to ensure that even the employees recruited through manpower agencies or any other way can enjoy all the conditions and privileges enjoyed by the permanent employees.
- Appointing a governing board with representatives from private sector trade unions that are accountable to Parliament to manage EPF.
- Establishing independent committees at which employees could lodge their complaints against sexual harassment, management violence and intimidation faced by women employees serving at the FTZs and industrial parks.
- Establishment of day-care centres sat the factory premises of the FTZs and industrial parks.
- Housing schemes to be created close to workplaces of garment sector workers.