CEB unions wary about Govt.’s EPF move

With the Treasury setting guidelines to control semi-government Provident Funds, trade unions expressed their anxiety over the move. While some unions are planning action against the guidelines, some are still trying to grasp the impact of the Treasury move.

CEB Trade Union Co-ordinator Ananda Nimalarathne said the unions would take a joint decision to protect the provident funds of employees. He said the unions would meet CEB officials handling the fund.“We have so far received verbal instructions only. We will decide on trade union action after our discussion with the officials,” he said.

Mr. Nimalaratne said the government’s claim that it wants to take over the fund to protect it was ridiculous. He said government need not extend a helping hand to protect the Fund as the CEB had protected it since 1969. “And our protection had been better than theirs,” he added.

He explained that the restructuring and privatization of the CEB too did not become successful because several parties focused the Provident Fund.“This is not public money as the Director General of the Treasury Operation says. It’s public only for the 15,000 employees of the CEB and they are controlling it properly, much better than the Treasury. It’s an independent fund and we would take all the action necessary to protect it”, he said.

Ceylon Bank Employees’ Union President M.R. Sha said most of the Provident Funds of banks were maintained by a committee comprising the government and the employees with the concurrence of the Labour Ministry and the funds were handled by the Central Bank.

“As the Fund is established by the contribution of both parties; the state and the employees, its maintaining responsibilities too are divided between both parties,” he said adding that “thus, the government or the employee alone can’t make decisions. The decision has to be from both parties”.