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Protest and fast by Sathosa employees continue
By Shasanka Algama,
The protest and fast held in front of the CWE Headquarters by the employees of the CWE (Sathosa) retail section is still continuing. The protest initiated by the Inter-Company Employees Union of Sathosa Retail, is aimed at drawing attention to the current situation of the company.

Spokesmen for the employee union told The Sunday Times that payment for the employees was disrupted since May this year. The board of directors of the International Groceries Alliance (IGA) withdrew from all management responsibilities of Sathosa Retail.

Since repeated talks with authorities on the issue were unsatisfactory, the union initiated the protest. Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle discussed the problem with the union last week. The employees also demonstrated outside the Parliament this week and handed over a memorandum to the Prime Minister.

Over 3,000 employees of Sathosa Retail branches island wide are affected.
Currently there is no authority that can be held accountable for the state of Sathosa Retail. A spokesman for the employees union said that the move by the IGA board of directors was unacceptable.

When asked about the possibility of taking action against the IGA., Minister Fernandopulle said that the Government was undecided on the issue.
The spokesman for the union also told the Sunday Times that Sathosa warehouses have not been supplied since May this year and that electricity, water bills and rent for the Sathosa branches have not been paid for months. They blame the IGA management practices for the unavailability of funds.

Commenting on the discussions held with Minister Fernandopulle, the spokesman for the union said no clear or definite plan of action on taking Sathosa Retail under Government control appears to be in operation. He said that an allowance of Rs. 4000 promised to the employees until the issue was settled, was only paid for the month of June. He also said that no Government official has approached them on the issue since the initial discussions on July 14.

The protesters say that they will continue the protest and fast until a fair plan that will ensure the job security of the employees, and beyond, is formulated.

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