Trade unions urge government to provide permanent employment and not temporary work
A Sri Lankan trade union collective has urged the government to abandon plans to enact laws and regulations legalising manpower agencies, and stop employing temporary workers in state corporations and institutions and instead provide permanent employmentin filling all vacancies
In a statement issued last week to coincide with World Decent Work Day – 7th October, the Trade Unions’ Coordinating Centre (TUCC) said that the government has allowed two different categories of workers in both state and private sector workplaces which was of concern.
“The private sector claims this is necessary, as they have at times to employ temporary workers to expedite urgent orders within deadlines, for export. The Investment Promotion Minister of this government says, they have to accept such disparity in order to encourage foreign investors to invest here in Sri Lanka,” it said in the statement while challenging the government to explain what foreign investments are expected in the banking and state corporation sectors.
It said the ILO under the ‘World Decent Work Day’ stresses the need to honour workers' rights and decent working conditions for workers. “It is in such context this government is scheming to enact new laws to enslave our workers in the name of foreign investments. This seems the strength with which manpower companies keep amassing huge profits by supplying innocent and poor men and women as temporary, exploitable labour to private companies and state institutes,” it said.
The union collective highlighted plight of temporary workers, both men and women, saying they were heavily exploited and refers to a quote from a concept note presented by the Senior Legal Consultant of the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations on August 2, 2013, to the National Labour Advisory council (NLAC) chaired by the Minister.
“The Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations informed me that the Hon. Minister intends to formulate a legislation to control the supply of labour to various private organizations by manpower agencies and such other organizations. The labour so provided undergoes various harassments by so-called employers changing their hands (workers) frequently. Among other things the workers employed through the provider agency when recruited to an enterprise through employment agencies very often find their wages; daily, weekly or monthly are not being regularly paid. Their due wages as per market rates are not given despite denial of minimum wages at certain occasions. Neither their social protection by way of social security measures such as contributions to Employees' Provident Fund, Employees' Trust Fund Board, payments under the Gratuities Act are observed. The privilege of leave or different types of public holidays in terms of the Wages Boards Ordinance and the Shop and Office Act are alien to them. Vulnerable sectors, the categories such as women, young persons, disabled, sick persons (being sick while in employment) are not the adequately protected or covered under heap of concessions accorded under other Laws. The rights of labour such as the Freedom of Association, unionization, combinations, affiliation or federations, etc. are beyond their reach. In other words bulk of the labour provided by manpower agencies have become a commodity rather than a human being who should be protected under the recognized labour standards and their recognition as social partner in development is ignored,” the labour consultant was quoted as saying, according to the TUCC.
It said the government cannot shirk its responsibility of providing legal safety for workers to be treated equally and paid the same for same work.
The union collective also demanded that the amendment to Section 45 of the Wages Board Ordinance as agreed at the NLAC that is still kept in cold storage, be immediately effected and enforced.
The union collective highlighted plight of temporary workers, both men and women, saying they were heavily exploited and refers to a quote from a concept note presented by the Senior Legal Consultant of the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations on August 2, 2013, to the National Labour Advisory council (NLAC) chaired by the Minister.