SLBFE employees given the choice to forego a portion of salary

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana  

Employees of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) will be given the choice of contributing a portion of their salaries to the institution because of its current financial crisis, Labour Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva told Parliament yesterday.   

Minister De Silva said the Government does not want to force a salary cut on the institution’s employees but would give them the choice to forgo a part of their salaries.   

“We will not force anything on Foreign Employment Bureau employees but will allow them to make their own decision,” the Minister said.   

“The Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau had earned only a revenue of Rs. 20 million this year whereas it had earned Rs. 240 million in 2019.  The revenue loss is a result of halting flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However we hope to send in Sri Lankans to accommodate vacancies that exist in countries such as Israel and Japan,” the Minister said.