The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Foreign Employment & Labor has revealed that several plantation companies have defaulted on Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) payments and have huge arrears to the EPF.
According to a statement from the Parliament of Sri Lanka, it was also revealed before the committee that due to contradictions in the information given about 700 million rupees paid by the companies in the estate sector, it has not been possible to account.
These issues were discussed when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Foreign Employment and Labor met in June under the chairmanship of MP Hector Appuhami.
MP Appuhami instructed the representatives of the plantation companies to protect the employees and to carry out the arrears to be paid to the EPF and the current monthly payments in a systematic manner.
The committee further advised the officials that by starting the accounts according to the National Identity Card number, the problems of having multiple accounts for the same person can be avoided.
State Minister Dr. Sitha Arabepola, Members of Parliament Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Chandima Weerakkodi, S.M Marikkar, K. Sujith Sanjaya, Ishaq Rahman, Vadivel Suresh, Velu Kumar, M. Udayakumar, and Thushara Indunil were present at the committee meeting.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Foreign Employment, the Labor Commissioner, officials of the Employee Provident Fund and representatives of plantation companies also participated in the meeting. (NewsWire)