President Ranil Wickremesinghe presents an award to veteran trade unionist Leslie Devendra at a felicitation ceremony at the BMICH

• Says trade unions must adapt to changing 
• times in journey of nation-building
• Announces establishment of ‘Employee Centre’ to facilitate discussions among professionals on boosting economy, preparing a workforce for future
• Acknowledges poverty rate escalating from 15% in 2019 to 26% at present
• Stresses on need for concerted efforts to provide livelihood opportunities, enhance access to education 

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has pledged to actively work towards addressing the wage disparities across all sectors within the public sector. “Economically, Sri Lanka has begun to recover and must continue to progress. This year, a stipend of Rs. 10,000 has been arranged for public sector employees and efforts are being made to increase wages in the private sector.

Although the economic capacity to provide additional concessions is limited, a committee will be appointed to address wage disparities across all public sector areas, aiming to offer some concessions to public servants next year,” he said. 

Wickremesinghe made these remarks during the “Leslie Devendra Sinhavalokanaya” ceremony, held on Wednesday (29) at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Leslie Devendra’s career.

Acknowledging the challenging journey ahead, the President noted that the common people have borne the brunt of the recent economic crisis. “To support this effort, the Government will establish an Employee Centre focused on forming new trade unions, securing employee rights, and determining effective methods. An annual budget will be allocated for this purpose,” he assured.

The President announced that new laws will be introduced to depoliticise appointments to the Board of Directors in Government institutions. 

He also highlighted the necessity of re-evaluating the country’s developmental trajectory, as the future of Sri Lanka depends on economic advancement.

Addressing the rising poverty rate, which has escalated from 15% in 2019 to 26% at present, President Wickremesinghe stressed the need for concerted efforts to provide livelihood opportunities and enhance access to education. 

“Our aim is to reduce the poverty rate to 10% by 2032, in line with the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). To tackle widespread poverty, initiatives such as granting inheritance rights, providing land ownership and transferring ownership of Colombo flats to current residents have been implemented,” he detailed.

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