The Ceylon Federation of Labour (CFL) said on Wednesday it was perplexed to learn that the government for reasons best known to itself has proceeded to open up the country for normal activity with little regard to the health and well-being of the people, thus bringing to zero the selfless service rendered by all those [...]

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Sri Lanka not ready to be open for work –CFL

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The Ceylon Federation of Labour (CFL) said on Wednesday it was perplexed to learn that the government for reasons best known to itself has proceeded to open up the country for normal activity with little regard to the health and well-being of the people, thus bringing to zero the selfless service rendered by all those who sacrificed their time and energy in containing the deadly virus.

This decision comes at a time when the Director of Health Services himself is on record stating that the danger is still present and before the advice of provincial directors of health have been made available, going against advice proffered by the WHO against the premature opening of countries for normal business and the urgings of the local medical professional organisations to step up and complete RT-PCR testing before doing so.

The CFL said in a statement that it views this action of the government as arbitrary, untimely and short-sighted.

The CFL is particularly concerned about the impact the government decision will have on the working population of the country who are made to report to work without any guarantees to their health and safety at work and while commuting to and from work. If the decision of the government was based on the so-called survey conducted by the Department of Labour (DoL), the union said that the survey was flawed – an exercise in futility without taking ground realities into consideration. The question arises as to how they set about collecting the data which influenced government thinking at a time when there was a blanket curfew enveloping the country?

The Board of Investment (BOI) has called upon companies under them to begin operations with curfew passes to be facilitated by the BOI. “As the organisation that won for the FTZ workers, the right of recourse to the country’s labour laws for their protection, the CFL would urge the authorities against any action that would resume production without first ensuring the safety and security of workers while at work, in the course of employment and while commuting to and from work,” the union said.

“We doubt very much that the DoL survey captures these aspects of the working life of employees. In the present lock-down situation, labour officers have no access to workplace level information and have to rely on hearsay evidence that often lacks credibility. Given the present situation, no employer can be expected to be truthful to labour officers regarding conditions of work in their enterprises, the actual wage/statutory dues paid and in particular, the facilities provided to ensure health and safety of workers at work and conveying them to and from work while securing their livelihood,” it said.

The CFL added that capitalising on the conditions of the pandemic, employers tend to exaggerate their woes and underplay those of workers under them to extract from the government concessions disproportionate to the temporary difficulties they face, resulting in a race to the bottom.

This is made clear from representations that the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon has made to the government to allow them to renegotiate terms and conditions of employment as regards work arrangements, holidays and payments in lieu, redesigning of employment packages and allowing work to be performed beyond normal working hours and on holidays without paying overtime or enhanced rates of remuneration, the CFL said.

“We deplore the attempt by employers to exploit the present situation to push through their perennial demands to deregulate the labour market and thereby mount a pincer movement aimed at sabotaging the very positive features contained in the Vision for Prosperity Manifesto of the President in relation to labour,” it said.

The union urged authorities to ensure the following to workers if their co-operation is to be enlisted for a meaningful engagement to increase production/productivity:

1. Provision of personal protective equipment and improved occupational safety and health measures.

2. Universal health insurance against COVID-19.

3. Sick leave on full pay to ensure income security for those who are sick/ quarantined.

4. Contracts observed and protected, not terminated to take account of illness or containment measures.

5. No loss of wages to workers due to enforced confinement/non-offer of work owing to operation of curfew.

“The task ahead for trade unions is to mobilise their members around these issues and not allow themselves to be used as pawns in the chess board of employers,” the CFL said.

 

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