SL export orders drop in COVID outbreak
Manufacturers are reducing the orders they accept in the face of the current COVID-19 outbreak in the country since they are compelled to work with a limited staff at the factories.
“We will have to reduce the number of orders we accept,” Free Trade Zone Manufacturers Association (FTZMA) General Secretary Dhammika Fernando said adding that certain organisations are reducing the orders due to the situation as a result of an absence of employees and closures.
He noted that currently factories in the FTZs are working with a daily average of 70-75 percent of the total workforce due to the pandemic situation in the country.
It was pointed out that due to this the orders will have to reduced since the factories cannot meet the targets.
He pointed out that at present people are not reporting to work due to the growing concerns of the pandemic spread.
The FTZMA, in a media statement, said that should the GSP+ concession be withdrawn again it could result in a balance of payments and increasing unemployment in the midst of the global pandemic that has had a debilitating impact on the Sri Lankan economy.
Meanwhile, the FTZ trade union leader Anton Marcus noted that at the recently held National Labour Advisory Council meeting the tripartite agreement to pay workers not called to work half their salaries or Rs.14, 500 whichever is higher was not agreed to by some of the unions.
He noted that this was due to the fact that going by the financial results of the companies it was found that most had made good profits and therefore it was not necessary to agree to this kind of salary reduction.