News
SL diplomats’ domestic staff issue unresolved
View(s):Sri Lanka pays domestic staff for its ambassadors below the host countries’ minimum wage in at least 15 countries.
Responses to a Right to Information request revealed that the salaries for “Service Assistants” approved by the Department of Management Services for January to December 2024, ranged from USD 253 to USD 872 per month depending on the location. Unless these staff worked less than half time (20 hours per week) they could not have been paid the legal minimum wage in host countries including Germany, France, Canada, USA, and Poland, among others.
In a high-profile court case last year, a Sri Lankan diplomat was ordered by the Australian federal court to pay over AUD 500,000 in unpaid wages and over AUD 100,000 in fines for underpaying her domestic worker by Australian minimum wage standards and by the sum agreed between the parties.
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath subsequently defended the diplomat saying salaries were determined by the Sri Lankan government in line with Sri Lankan salary standards, and that a policy decision would have to be made to prevent such issues in the future.
However, a learned source revealed that so far a new policy has not been implemented and the wages remain the same. To skirt the issue, some diplomats are taking postings without domestic workers while others are choosing not to go to countries where this is an issue, the source revealed, adding that it particularly affects women diplomats. Even clerical staff at some missions are paid below the host countries minimum wage but that doesn’t become a problem as host countries don’t intrude in diplomatic business, the source shared, adding that the issue arises from the discrepancy in minimum wages between countries.
Indian and American diplomats too have been involved in legal battles due to their treatment of domestic workers. According to a Pulitzer Centre Investigation “208 migrant domestic workers in at least 18 countries have filed hundreds of complaints and cases against 160 diplomats and employees of various international organizations.” The investigation found that the accused were often able to avoid responsibility due to diplomatic immunity.
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