JVP urges Govt. to implement expat pension scheme

• $ 4.2 b available to implement pension scheme
• Expats in South Korea in fisheries industry being deceived13 expats in South Korea died in 2017

By Skandha Gunasekara

The JVP yesterday urged the Government to implement the pension scheme for Lankan expatriates, which was proposed in the previous Budget.

Taking part in yesterday’s Committee Stage debate on the expenditure heads coming under the ministries of Disaster Management, Women and Child Affairs as well as Social Empowerment, Welfare and Kandyan Heritage, JVP parliamentarian Sunil Handunetti faulted the Government for failing to initiate the scheme.

“This is one of the first Budget proposals where the issues of Lankan foreign employees have not been addressed. I thank the Minister for proposing such a pension scheme but why has it still not been implemented? The finances are available,” the MP said, adding that during discussions with the Minister regarding the pension scheme the latter had revealed that $ 4.2 billion was available in the Kuwait Compensation Fund. 

The MP went on to inquire under what criteria the pension scheme would be made available, calling on the Government to expedite the process of its implementation. 

Thereafter, the MP requested clarification from the Government on its initiative to impose a tax on remittances sent from expatriates to Sri Lanka. 

He said that the Government intends to tax 0.1% from all remittances sent from expatriate workers exceeding $ 1 million, with investment bonds being the exception. 

“This is being executed under the regulations of the Foreign Exchange Control (amendment) Act. The JVP opposed this act when it was put before Parliament as it is a subtle way to clean dirty money,” he said, adding that the act failed to specify if tax would be on incomes exceeding $ 1 million a month, a year or a lifetime. 

In addition, addressing difficulties faced by expatriates in South Korea, the MP said that Lankans going to South Korea to engage in the fishing industry were being duped as the contract they signed states ‘Fish Production Industry’, resulting in Lankans being employed in menial work they had not agreed to. 

“As a result of the ‘production’ part being included in their contract our people are forced to do laborious work such as picking clams and cleaning them. Our workers who go there to engage in fishing activities are forced to do these tasks which they have no experience or interest in, some are practically servants to their employees,” MP Handunetti said. 

He also alleged that 13 Lankan expatriates from the Central Province had died in South Korea during the last year while working as fishermen there as they had lacked the experience to survive life out at sea. 

He then faulted the Government for penalising the families of expatriates in South Korea who leave jobs in the fishing sector to look for employment elsewhere. 

“When these people break contract and seek jobs in other sectors in South Korea, our Government penalises their families in Sri Lanka who have given sureties as part of the contract. The Government should not be penalising them for leaving these jobs but should find out why our workers are leaving their employment in the first place.”