Sri Lanka’s three main Presidential candidates Gotabaya Rajapaksa , Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake have been demanded by trade unions to reveal this policies on 10 million workers in the formal and informal private sectors.
These workers have so far been out of the focus of three front running presidential candidates as there is no indication whatsoever in their policy statements on seeking support.
Of this total number, eight million are in the informal private sector such as the private commuter transport service, the trishaws, small cafes and canteens, shopping complexes, security guards in private security services and contract employees in manpower agencies.
On behalf of these 10 million workers the Sri Lanka IndustriALL Council of five trade unions has called on the three frontline presidential candidates to make public their respective policies and proposals to meet the demands being made by those employees.
The trade unions have made 10 proposals to presidential candidates expecting them to be included in their policy statements to fulfill it if any one of them is elected president of this country.
Among those proposals y are:. to protect the worker’s right to be a member in a union of his or her choice making it mandatory for Employers to adhere to and implement ILO Conventions No: 87 and 98.
. Key candidates must agree to submit a draft National Labour Policy to the public and private sector trade unions.
The unions point out that a 40-hour working week with an 8-hour work day and the national minimum wage of Rs.13,500 per month is not at all sufficient with the present cost of living.
Therefore the trade unions demand the key presidential candidates to make a firm pledge before the public that they will take steps to increase the minimum monthly salary to Rs. 25,000 and also adjust the cost of living allowance once in every two years in line with the Cost of Living (COL).
4. Presidential candidates have been demanded to take necessary measures to include a permanent representation of workers in the management of the EPF.
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