More benefits for workers says Labour and Trade Union Affairs Minister

Wednesday, 1 May 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In a message marking May (Labour) Day, the Labour and Trade Union Affairs Minister Ravindra Samaraweera says the socio-economic development of a country is made by employees, while insisting that the Government has taken many favourable decisions to safeguard and ensure the welfare of the working class in the country.

Labour and Trade Union Affairs Minister Ravindra Samaraweera

Issuing a statement to commemorate May Day, he stressed that they hope to pass several important bills to ensure rights of the working class in the country.

“The minimum wage of a private sector employee has been increased by Rs. 2,500 last week. The minimum wage of a private sector employee will be Rs. 12,500 and with the additional Budget subsidy of Rs. 3,000 this minimum wage goes up to Rs. 16,000. The Labour Advisory Council has also agreed to this salary hike,” he said.

The Minister noted that once the Bill is passed in Parliament, every private sector employee is entitled for a minimum wage of Rs. 16,000. This also means that the daily wage of an employee will increase from Rs. 400 to Rs. 600.

Pointing out that they have observed employees are faced with many hardships when they want to obtain the benefits of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), Samaraweera said that the Ministry has taken steps to iron out those issues.

“We have noticed that employees go through so many difficulties when they have to submit documents to obtain EPF benefits as they have worked in several institutions. Therefore, we have requested the employer to now provide all the information about the employee within three months after recruiting. All work has been made to present these Bills to prepare these regulations,” he said. According to the Minister, the membership number of EPF will be changed to their National Identity Card (NIC) number.

Considering the security concerns prevailing in the country, Minister Samaraweera urged all employers to encourage their workers to obtain NIC to avoid any difficulties.