Rs 100,000 bonus for Pulmoddai miners   

With the state-controlled mining operation reporting huge profits last year, workers of Sri Lanka’s premier mineral sands company won a bonus of Rs 100,000 each on Monday. 

“I wanted to reward you with a bonus of Rs.125,000 but due to recent trade union actions, I am only able to give Rs. 100,000,” said the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons,  Cooperative Development, Skills Development and Vocational Training Rishad Bathiudeen at the Lanka Mineral Sands Ltd (LMSL) company’s Pulmoddai plant premises. 

The company has reported a Rs. 676 million net profit (after tax) for 2018, a ministry media release said.

“During the previous weeks there were strikes and other trade union actions here, and they disrupted this plant’s smooth production process. The trade unions were drawing the innocent workers to their protests and getting them into trouble. If you have grievances, you should directly complain to the LMSL management instead of resorting to strikes. If these strikes did not take place, you would be collecting a bonus of Rs.125,000 today instead of Rs.100,000. Due to trade union action, bonus rates have come down and you have lost a bigger pay-out,” said Minister Bathiudeen.

Referring to speculation that the Pulmoddai mines are to be sold to private buyers, he reiterated that neither the government nor the ministry has approved transfer of the profitable Pulmoddai deposits to any local or foreign buyer. 

The key products that LMSL markets are Ilmenite, Rutile, Zircon, and “Ilmenite with by-products”.  In 2019/’20, LMSL plans to expand to Value Added Products and to establish a new mineral processing plant in the vicinity of Kokillai. The Pulmoddai plant celebrated its 61st anniversary in  March 2019.