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As coronavirus spreads, daily wage earners cry out for help
K.M. Ariyawathi (52) has a blood disorder. She and her husband are currently living in Wattala on rent, trying to earn enough money to educate their two children, aged 17 and 12, who live in Monaragala with Ms Ariyawathi’s mother-in-law. “We are daily wage earners. We can’t earn much in Monaragala to educate our children, which is why we moved here. I work as a household domestic while my husband drives a three-wheeler,” she explained.
Hard hit: Three wheeler drivers have seen hires dwindling with every passing day. Pic by Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa
People like Ariyawathi and her husband have been among the hardest hit by the impact on the country created by COVID-19 and the extraordinary measures put in place to prevent its spread. Her husband has seen hires dwindling with every passing day as more and more confirmed cases were announced and people started to stay at home. There was one day last week where he didn’t get a single hire. “He finally got a large number of hires on Friday after the Government announced a curfew and people rushed to shops to buy supplies. That’s been the only day for the past week where he had a lot of hires.”
Now that the curfew is in place, neither Ariyawathi nor her husband can find work and the prospect that the curfew might be extended further has them both worried. “We understand it’s for people’s safety but we are also facing the prospect of going hungry if this continues,” she pointed out.
They also owe Rs 35, 000 in arrears to the finance company from which her husband leased the three-wheeler from. Though President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced this week that repayments of all loans from banks and financial institutions have been deferred as part of efforts to provide relief to the people during this time of crisis, some finance companies have continued to insist on repayments. “We have to set aside Rs 17, 000 a month for the lease. The three-wheeler is registered in my name. I received a call on Thursday demanding that I settle the arrears. When I pointed out what the President had announced, they asked me to come to their office in Maradana to sign some documents. I have a blood disorder and am vulnerable to the virus. How can I go? My husband and I then decided that he would go and we will settle the arrears from another loan but would make no further payments for the next few months. But the curfew was announced before we did any of that.”
A similar plight has befallen N.D. Chandrika Kumari (49), who is originally from Anuradhapura but is now living in Wattala with her husband and their two boys aged 19 and 12. Her husband is unemployed and she earns a living working in neighbouring houses. Her elder son is also now out of work as his workplace followed others in shutting down owing to the outbreak of the virus.
“I can’t even go and work in houses anymore. Even before the curfew, some asked me not to come as they were reluctant to admit outsiders due to the risk of infection. I have several loans that I have to pay up. I’m glad the President at least gave us some relief on that count. However, we are finding it increasingly difficult to manage and if this continues, will have to rely on charity from others to survive,” Kumari lamented.
For Poornima Priyadarshani (42), the outbreak has come with additional fears. Her seven-year-old daughter is disabled and is highly vulnerable to infection. “We have no one to take care of her so I stay at home to do that while my husband drives a three-wheeler for hire. We only earn enough to buy supplies to last one or two days. We don’t know how we can survive if this drags on for weeks,” she said. She added that the finance company her husband leased the three-wheeler from also called this week telling them to pay up the arrears due the previous month.
Indika Kamalani (46) used to run a roadside stall selling lemons before she had to stop after being diagnosed as a diabetic. Her husband is also ill but has no choice but to drive a three-wheeler in order to feed her and their two children aged 17 and 12. She said her family was also facing a bleak future if the spread of the virus continued to affect lives of daily wage earners such as themselves.
The greatest issue facing those who operate three-wheelers for a living is that finance companies still insist that they pay their monthly installments on time despite the country’s situation, complained President of the All-Island Three-Wheeler Drivers’ and Owners’ Association Sudhil Jayaruk. The vast majority of three-wheelers have been purchased on lease with financial assistance from finance companies.
He claimed that finance companies do not consider the President’s order to all banks and finance companies to suspend all loans for a period of six months to apply to three-wheeler leasing.
“The companies continued to insist that we pay our installments on time even after the Easter Sunday attacks and seized three-wheelers of those who could not do so. They will continue to insist on monthly payments this time too, but how are people to pay when they don’t have customers?”
Mr Jayaruk said hires have been increasingly dwindling over the past two weeks as the number of COVID-19 cases goes up on a daily basis and people choose to stay at home. There are some 800, 000 three-wheeler operators in the country and about 3 million dependents who rely on them to survive. “If this crisis drags on, we all face the prospect of going hungry and losing our vehicles as well. We understand the Government can’t do everything, but we are hoping they at least give us some relief as far as payments on leasing is concerned,” he added.