NLAC had repeatedly requested for wage increases

The National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) yesterday said that they had made repeated requests to increase wages through the Labour Ministry recently but no such request had been made by any union.

They rejected a statement made by Labour Ministry Secretary W.J.L.U. Wijayaweera who recently said that his ministry had not received a request by unions to increase wages but that if a request was made, it would be considered under the recommendations of the National Labour Advisory Council and that it would be referred to the Wages Boards.

NLAC member and President of the Ceylon Federation of Labour T.M.R. Rasseedin said 11 unions, all of whom are members of the NLAC, had urged the government for wage increments. He said the working people in the private sector were economically harassed and needed immediate relief.

In a letter to Wijayaweera yesterday the Ceylon Federation of Labour had emphasised the need for higher wages. “11 unions who are members of the NLAC have been agitating for wage increases. The issue of raising the Wages Boards minimum to Rs.12,500 and a special budgetary relief allowance of Rs.5,000 had been put forward to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Finance Ministry,” Raseedin said. (Olindhi Jayasundere)