Trade unions demand decent work & wages
By Lal Gunasekera-October 9, 2013
The Trade Union Co-ordinating Centre (TUCC), comprising 15 trade unions, has placed four demands before the government, including decent working conditions and wages.
Anton Marcus of the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union (FTZ & GSEU) told The Island Financial Review that the demands included that the government drop all plans to enact laws and regulations legalizing manpower agencies, stop employing temporary workers in all state corporations and state institutions and instead provide permanent employment in filling all vacancies.
It called for the amendment to section 45 of the Wages Board Ordinance as agreed at the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) that was still kept in cold storage be immediately effected and enforced and the two Board of Investment (BOI) circulars dated 16th March, 2005 and 4th October, 2005 under the caption ‘Policy Guidelines On Employment of Casual/Temporary Workers and Contract Labour for BOI factories’ issued for all BOI enterprises by the Chairman/Director-General be immediately brought into effect and all factory owners advised accordingly.
Marcus said that ensuring job security and equal treatment in work is the responsibility of the government.
"The private sector claims this is necessary as they have at times to employ temporary workers to expedite urgent orders within deadlines for export," he said.
The Investment Promotion Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene said such disparities must be accepted in order to encourage foreign investors to invest here in Sri Lanka. The TUCC challenges the government to explain what foreign investments are expected for the banking and State corporation sectors.
"The global trade union movement declared - October 07 as the World Decent Work Day to campaign against such indecency. The ILO has endorsed October 07 as the World Decent Work Day to stress 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," Marcus said.
Marcus said manpower agencies made huge profits by exploiting labour.
"A concept note presented by the Senior Legal Consultant of the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations on 02 August 2013, to the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) chaired by the Minister for Labour and Labour Relations, Gamini Lokuge had this to say about the situation: ‘The Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations intends to formulate legislation to control the supply of labour to various private organizations by manpower agencies and such other organizations. Workers so provided undergo various harassments and are frequently shifted from one employer to another. Their wages are not paid regularly and are below market rates. Contributions to EPF and ETF are not made and so are gratuity payments. 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 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, the bulk of the labour provided by manpower agencies have become a commodity rather than human beings who should be protected under the recognised labour standards and their recognition as social partner in development is ignored’."
"This has led to two categories of workers doing the same work, with the same responsibility, but with very differential treatment. As explained by the Senior Legal Consultant at the ministry, this supply of labour by manpower companies even violating labour laws, is now being schemed by the government to regularise through a new law, having shelved amendments agreed upon by trade unions at the NLAC. The government can not shirk its responsibility of providing legal safety for workers to be treated equally and paid the same for same work," Marcus said.
