Unions in talks to ensure FTZ workers paid salaries

Saturday, 28 March 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Trade unions in the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Katunayake are in talks with members of the Special Task Force to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within workplaces to ensure that salaries of all workers are debited to their bank accounts as soon as possible, a union representative said yesterday.

The Special Task Force was appointed by the Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union General Secretary Anton Marcus said that while some employees had already paid the workers, there were many who were yet to be paid.

“All the workers are being sent back to their villages and we have to make sure they are given their salaries,” Marcus told Daily FT.

He said that around 20,000 workers and family members were dispatched by bus to their respective villages, under a Government program.

“They will be sent to the district/divisional secretariats in each area where the medical officers of the Health (MOH) will have them checked and then they will be sent to their homes,” he added.

He also mentioned that measures had been taken to provide them with food packets for lunch yesterday and all were likely to be sent to their homes by last evening. All factories in the FTZ have remained closed for the past week.