SB guarantees payment of overdue EPF to Divi Neguma workers

Social Empowerment and Welfare Minister S. B. Dissanayake rushed to guarantee that the ministry would honour the court settlement reached with Divi Neguma worker unions to pay Employee Provident Fund (EPF) money to over 8000 Government workers who were denied the payment when the department was set up under the previous regime. According to the minster, opposition political elements were looking to take advantage of the delay caused in rectifying the issue prompting him to have a rushed meeting with relevant ministries and make the announcement on Friday, last week.

“I accepted that the workers are entitled to this money in court in August and said that it should be paid. It is the Department of Labour and the Labour Ministry that should take over now,” he said.

Trade unions of the Divi Neguma Department filed action against the Social Empowerment Ministry demanding employer contribution of EPF payable to employees since Samurdhi Department was established in 1995, be paid to them. The previous regime created Divi Neguma in 2013 making the Samurdhi Department defunct and recruiting its workers as new recruits.

 Four employment options were given to all Samurdhi Department employees for re-recruitment, the minister said. However, a decision taken when setting up the Divi Negua department resulted in 8149 Government workers being denied EPF as they refused to take one of the four employment options given by the Government. Each worker is due a sum of close to Rs. 1.5 million as EPF, the Dissanayake said.

However, the Minister admitted to a lapse in the side of the Government as the responsible ministries, Social Empowerment which the Divineguma Department comes under, and the Labour Ministry which is responsible for EPF matters of workers, failed to inform the Cabinet before reaching a settlement with the Courts.

“This will not affect now as it is not my responsibility, Labour department will take care of the matter,” he said. The Minister has also met with relevant officials and ministers to solve the issue last Friday in Parliament.

A decision has been taken to backdate appointment letters to ensure there is no service break for those who were re-employed in the Divi Neguma department in 2014. A Cabinet paper on the appointment letters and solutions to a host of other issues affecting the workers of the Divi Neguma department will be presented to the Cabinet in the near future, Dissanayake said.

“We will also have to look at those who have retired since 2014 and the benefits that should have been given to the deceased,” he said.