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Holidays: where have we gone wrong? By Thushara
Matthias On the other
look at the plight of factories and manufacturing bases. Is it worth
to run these with only a few employees working when everyone else
doesn't come to work? Not only is
April a disruptive month for production but May too is heading the
same way with both being probably the most unproductive months this
year. With so many
questions raised about the need to rationalise holidays in Sri Lanka,
The Sunday Times FT spoke to a cross section of people on the need
to rationalise the holidays and what has been done so far in this
regard. We also found that while the chambers of commerce and the
private sector have been consistently raising concerns over the
number of holidays which stalls Sri Lanka's progress, Labour ministry
officials didn't think the holiday issue is a serious problem. Too long, too
many "There
is nothing wrong with the holidays. It's the pattern of holidays
that disrupts work." said Sunil G. Wijesinha, Managing Director,
Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka Ltd. He said it is much better to have
a couple of long holiday periods of even 10 days at a stretch than
a one-day holiday every week. Taking the example of China, Japan
and Malaysia, he said these countries are almost "dead"
during their respective New Year periods. However, some
in the private sector are opposed to the idea of long weekends.
A spokesman for Hayleys said that in Europe and USA they could declare
vacations and close factories and offices but in a developing country
one can't afford to do it. "We have to keep serving people
from all over the world from one end to the other," he said.
Even Wijesinha said shipments need to be sent and people have to
report to work on certain holidays to keep production lines going. He was of the
view that people who take a break are more efficient than people
who work very hard, all year long as monotonous work lowers efficiency
and productivity. If holidays at a stretch are granted, the rest
of the year must be a period in which people are committed to their
work. "Rationalising
holidays is already happening gradually," Wijesinha said. He
explained that until the middle of last year the Merchant Bank was
following the Mercantile holiday schedule, as it is a mercantile
bank. Yet when it
was kept open during a government holiday, many thought it (bank)
was also closed, as it was a bank. Hence only a few customers turn
up for services. Last year, the Stock Exchange which was following
the mercantile holiday schedule decided to follow the public and
bank holiday pattern. Therefore the merchant banks too decided to
follow the same and be in line with the public sector and commercial
banks. Rationalisation Deputy Director
General of EFC, Ravi Peiris said that over the years, it has highlighted
the need to rationalize the holiday pattern in the private sector
to ensure a uniform holiday pattern between the private and public
sectors wherever possible. He said at present the Shop and Office
Employees' Act requires an additional holiday to be granted by way
of a weekly holiday whenever a statutory holiday i.e. a 'public
holiday' coincides with a weekly holiday. Last year, there were
three such instances. This not only
adds to the number of holidays in respect of employees covered under
the Shop and Office Employees' Act but results in shops and offices
in the private sector including banks, remaining closed when government
offices and factories are open. He said their proposals for rationalisation have been submitted to the National Labour Advisory Council and the Ministry of Labour and are under consideration. Many individuals
in the private sector too agree that too many holidays disrupt the
workload in offices. The Poya day holiday is under constant debate.
Amarasinghe said if people are religious a holiday on their account
could be used to observe religious rituals. Eshnath Wijesinghe,
Director Bartleet and Co Ltd, was also of the view that too many
Poya day and other holidays lower productivity. Protests Today many
argue that the prices of essentials are skyrocketing resulting in
the rising cost of living. Day in and day out there is a huge struggle
for middle-class employees to make ends meet. "What we need
to look at is how to increase productivity. It necessarily doesn't
mean less input and more output. An attitude of this nature does
not benefit Sri Lanka. We are missing the bus. To head towards higher productivity and keep abreast with the rest of the world Sri Lanka needs to move towards value addition. It is the key, Sunil G. Wijesinha said. He further explained that Sri Lanka should have quality as the competitive advantage rather than price because it gives a better profit margin and is helpful in the long run. An official at the Employment and Labour Ministry when asked whether there are any proposals to rationalise the holidays in Sri Lanka, disagreed that current holiday patterns cause problems to productivity. He said often many of the factories are closed for the whole week in the New Year period. On the other hand, the encashment of holidays (getting paid for working on holidays) was another factor that deters people from taking holidays which they are entitled to. He pointed out that most low-level employees work round the clock without taking holidays. Therefore even though the ministry is looking at the holiday pattern there are no serious measures which will be taken in the near future, as it's not a "major issue." Amarasinghe suggested that to encourage employees to work without taking holidays on and off, encashment of leave should be encouraged and this should be done through a public awareness campaign with media backing. It is clear that many segments of society agree on the rationalisation of holidays and not reducing it. Analysts say that Sri Lankan authorities must model the holidays in line with other Asian countries which has long stretches of holidays but reduce it during the rest of the year, if Sri Lanka needs to do to keep pace with the rest of the world and increase its productivity. The establishment
of five regional economic zones, a government initiative included
in its election manifesto, was to enable each region to exploit
its unique natural, geographical and locational advantage in stimulating
industrial growth and the expansion of services. In this interview
with The Sunday Times FT, Mineka P.Wickramasinghe, chairman of the
Southern Regional Economic Development Commission, talks about his
plans for a region that has been a hotbed of youth uprisings as
result of decades of neglect. Why did you
choose the Southern region? The southern region is vast and it has
been neglected in the past. The southerners
are dynamic, adventurous and above all high-spirited. I personally
like to work with high-spirited people. They can be
great assets if channelled properly. The leaders
of the insurgent movement were from the South. The spirit of adventure
stems from high spiritedness. In the old days, they ventured out
to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Myanmar (Burma) and have been successful. B.P de Silva
is a well-known name in Singapore. Even today
there is a 'Matara Kade' where there is a cluster of boutiques whether
in Colombo, Gampola or in Polonnaruwa. The baker and the 'bass unnahe'
were from the South even in Jaffna. What do you
think of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's plan to create regional
Economic Development Commissi-ons? I would call
it an excellent idea. Decentralising
the processing would enable the zones to offer a specially tailored
and personalised service to the different segments of investors
varying from agriculture and fisheries to tourism. It is the right
direction for efficiency and professionalism. What is your vision
for the Southern Region Economic Development Commission? To make it
a one-stop shop for investors. Many talk about investment for development.
But development per se is not sufficient. People should benefit
from the development. The lifestyles
of the people should improve. We are hoping
to concentrate more on harnessing the agricultural potential of
the South at grassroot level, which would help to alleviate the
living conditions of the producer. After all life is about progress.
Mostly all want to progress, to improve their knowledge, their living
conditions. So, it is our
duty being in the Economic Development Commission to make available
opportunities for individual and collective progress. But to achieve
this vision all should co-operate. We should not
work as separate entities but as a whole. I do request all government
bodies to cooperate and work hand in hand for the success of the
region. The Southern
Development Ministry has assured me of their wholehearted cooperation.
What are your plans? It could be divided into three areas. First are the
mega projects. These will be done with the support of the Southern
Development Ministry and other government bodies. We will try
to re-activate some of the existing mega projects that have been
initiated by the Southern Development Board. To attract
investors the infrastructure must be in place. Extending the Matara
highway to Hambantota we consider as a priority. I am told that
the funding is ready for developing the Galle Harbour, which then
should proceed without delay. The second
is large investments. At the moment there is a $350 million investment
from India for processing edible oils for exports. There are a few
more in the pipeline for appraisal. The third category
is SMI ( small and medium industries) projects. The potential
for agriculture-based projects is vast. It is contemplated to give
a guaranteed price for produce and establish processing units, where
the producers too will have a stake in those units, and that some
benefit of the value addition will go to the farmers. We will set
up a Marketing Board or attract private sector participation for
international marketing. A stumbling
block to stimulate agriculture is the socio-economic problem, which
distract the youth from going into agricultural pursuits. We have
an intention to start farmers' clubs and give due recognition to
them. Make these
clubs affiliated with foreign clubs and have exchange programmes.
There are also plans to set up a number of Chambers for Commerce
and Agriculture. We will set
up a R & D (Research and Development) department in the BOI
to give free advice on farming and processing. In the past
Sri Lanka was called the Granary of the East. Today the go-downs
are empty. Rice, sugar, wheat, pulses are all imported. Even salt
is imported at present. To develop passion
fruit cultivation, the spices industry such as extracting of cinnamon
oil and other oils and to improve the standard of these industries
will also be considered. There are several plans to set up research
units. There is wealth
in individual hands and we hope to attract these for investment.
Tourism is another sector, which has been stagnant. In 1976 there
were 400,000 arrivals. After nearly
27 years the figure is the same. Where is the
development that is spoken of in the hospitality industry? No doubt
hotels have sprung up and there are more rooms. So the cake has
to be divided into smaller and smaller portions. Consequently
the selling price has come down to rock bottom levels. The manager
of the hotel I stayed in for the opening of the office told me that
some hotels are charging $8 per guest for full board inclusive of
local liquor, soft drinks, tea and coffee from 11a.m. to 11 p.m. What the operators
get is barely sufficient to break even. There are also plans to
set up voluntary organisations, which teach English, and schools
for training housemaids, nurses and other vocational training. How do you
hope to fund the projects? There are so many grants and aid available. We will source some of these aid flows for communal development projects. Then attract the private sector to participate. At the last
Board meeting of the Board of Investment it was agreed that the
investors would have to deposit one percent of the estimated project
costs till the industry begins commercial operations. So this could
be deposited in a bank and the interest could be used. Do you think
you can find time with all your private sector commitments? Yes.
It's hard. Time is an
important part of management. What is your message to the people
of South? Sri Lanka is
a rich country. We may not
have oil but we are rich in terms of agriculture, gems, a picturesque
environment, bio-diversity, etc. Any task would be successful if
done with sincerity and determination. Therefore let's
work together to achieve success and let's be proud of our success.
So let the South be the beacon for development as partners in progress. NIMB, Irish varsity offer MIS degree course By Shanika
Udawatte "As a
government institution we consider it one of our national responsibilities
to enlighten the people of what we are offering and its value so
that those who are interested in IT can make the maximum of it,"
NIBM chairman Thushantha Wijemanna told a news conference. He added that
they have been conducting this degree programme since 1997 and that
the students' success rates are close to 98 percent. Course Director
C. Gunadasa said the MIS degree course was a three-year programme
divided into three levels. Those who have
completed the Higher Diploma in Computer Based Information Systems
conducted by the NIBM will be eligible to directly enter the level
two or the second year of the MIS degree programme. Those with other
related qualifications would also be considered for exemptions on
a case-by-case basis. Prof. H. Harrison
of the UCD, who has been working closely with the NIBM for many
years, said that the same educational standards that are maintained
in Ireland by the UCD are maintained here as well. He said half
the staff were from the UCD and the rest from the NIBM. "The examinations
too are set according to the UCD standards and when the final degree
is awarded there will be no difference whether a student has followed
the course in Ireland or at NIBM in Sri Lanka," he said. Dr. Martin Butler of the UCD commenting on the recognition of the degree said that it would be accepted by any university in the world as a qualification for a post-graduate course. Chemotherapy infusion unit from Ceylinco The Ceylinco Cancer Detection Centre, Sri Lanka's only dedicated facility for cancer screening, says it offers a facility where cancer patients can receive their chemotherapy infusion in a clean, comfortable, relaxed and friendly setting. The unit is
supervised by a medical officer while the drugs will be administered
and monitored by a senior staff nurse with oncology experience. Information
and support to patients will be available throughout the courseof
their treatment. A spokesperson
for the centre said, prior to the launch of this unit, the options
available to cancer patients was to get admitted at the Maharagama Cancer Institute
or a private hospital ward for their chemotherapy infusions which
could take up to several hours. Established
in collaboration with the Washington Cancer Institute, the Cancer Detection Centre is a ground breaking project of Ceylinco Healthcare Services Ltd. (CHSL), a subsidiary of Ceylinco Life, is the country's largest private sector insurer.
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