6.5 million private sector would take to the streets

Teller · 1 6.5 million private sector would take to the streets Sat Feb 21, 2015 2:25 pm

Teller

Moderator

Posts : 5640
Equity Stars : 17136
Reputation : 232
Join date : 2013-06-25
Location : Abhudhabi

Trade unions affiliated to Sri Lanka's private sector have threatened to resort to trade union action if the government fails to address the demands of the private employees.

Inter Company Employees' Union (ICEU) head, Wasantha Samarasinghe said the private sector working cadre that amounts to around 6.5 million would take to the streets if the government fails to address their demands.

Samarasinghe explained that the government should take immediate steps to amend the legislation presented to parliament in 2005 with regard to a salary increase to the private sector.

He added that the amended legislation should be presented to parliament and passed within the government's 100 day programme.

According to Samarasinghe, the government's move to increase salaries of the private sector through wages boards has not been beneficial to the private sector workers.

There is currently a considerable disparity between the minimum wage of the public sector and the private sector in the country. Local media

Senior Citizen

Senior Citizen

Senior Manager - Equity Analytics

Posts : 569
Equity Stars : 5199
Reputation : 9
Join date : 2014-11-15
Location : Timbuktu

All the Govt. Can do is appeal to the Private Sector to give salary increases. They cannot and will not enforce it. There is no legislation except having a minimum salary of R. 2000/-.

Now even the govt. Violates the legislation by having 50% of its workforce on contractual basis or outsourced to use a more trendy term.

Why does the Govt. Do that? To reduce their expenditure.Now and again afew of those employees are taken into the permanent cardre. So having a situation like that how can the government ask the private sector to do so?

Anyway, most of the large companies have collective agreements with its employees. The small companies have employees who are not allowed to form unions.

So who are there to strike? Gone are the days of NM Perera and Peter Kennaman and union leaders of yesterday year.