Govt. moves to get better pay for migrant Lankans

By Nalaka Nonis

The Government has decided to fix the minimum wage of a Sri Lankan expatriate worker at US$ 200 a month from January 1, Foreign Employment Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.

He said this long-over-due decision was reached after considering the low wages of Sri Lankan migrant workers. However, he did not elaborate whether the present employers of these expatriate workers would be asked to pay the minimum wage. The current minimum monthly salary of a Sri Lankan migrant worker -- most of who are working in the Gulf region -- varies from US$ 100 to 130. However, in many instances a Sri Lankan housemaid is paid less than US$ 100.

Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) chairman Kingsley Ranawaka said that although the government has decided to ask for a minimum salary of US$ 200, no agreements had so far been signed with the countries that employed Sri Lankans.

He said they were hoping to discus the wage issue with Saudi Arabia where more than 380,000 Sri Lankans had been employed
He said the Association of the Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA) and Saudi Agents Association had agreed in principle about the minimum wage.

ALFEA President Suraj Dandeniya while welcoming the decision said SLFEB would have to sign bilateral agreements and hold discussions with authorities and agents of the respective countries if it was to become a reality.