Apparel TUs to enter MOU with JAAF
View(s):Apparel industry worker-related issues are to be discussed between the factory owners and trade unions once they reach agreement through an MOU in the wake of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. “We have agreed to discuss a possibility of entering a MOU to resolve the disputes through social dialogue,” FTZ and General Services Trade Union General Secretary Anton Marcus told the Business Times on Wednesday. The draft of the MOU is yet to be considered by the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF).
He noted that the items on the agenda were to set up the COVID bipartite health committee; take up issues pertaining to non-payment of bonus, wages and other issues.
Discussions on entering into an MOU is a result of the recent statement issued by the trade union’s international alliance on Sri Lanka relating to the issues pertaining to those working in factories in the country. At the outset of the pandemic crisis in Sri Lanka factories closed for one month in March 2020 and some factories had refused to pay workers for which the trade unions insisted that payments must be made as the lockdowns imposed then were beyond their control.
Later, as a result of slow orders the factories faced issues and had requested for a lower salary payment for those workers at home as factory staff were asked to report to work on rotation. As a result the payment for those workers during the period they were at home was agreed at half the salary or Rs.14,500. But in spite of this some factories continued to lay off workers as well.
In October the second wave of the pandemic commenced with an outbreak from a factory in Minuwangoda. Now with the third wave a spike in cases was seen recently when the MAS factory in Thulhiriya closed after it recorded 400 cases. Similarly a number of other factories too had seen an increase in COVID cases during this wave.
Meanwhile, the non-payment of wages to workers had previously been calculated from March to May but now the trade union is calculating the wages gone unpaid for the whole of last year.
Mr. Marcus also said that the tripartite task force committee met for the first time after several months with Labour Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva on June 2.
During the meeting, Mr. Marcus had raised concerns that the spread of the disease was a result of factories working at full capacity.
In addition, he pointed out that some factories were paying their COVID positive workers now, away from work, only half their salaries.
He has also proposed that workers be paid compensation for those having died of COVID-19, which he believes the number has risen to six employees.
However, this had been shot down by the minister pointing out that there was no legal provision for companies to do so. Mr. Marcus notes that COVID-19 has not been considered a health hazard when working in factories. (SD)