Permanent appointments for temporary staff recruited since 2018

Colombo, June 9 (Daily Mirror) - The Government yesterday formally granted permanent appointments to a group of employees recruited on temporary, casual, substitute, contract and concessionary basis under the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development.

The appointment ceremony was held at the Ministry Auditorium under the patronage of Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.

The move follows a proposal included in the 2026 Budget to regularise the services of nearly 9,800 employees attached to various ministries and government institutions who have remained on temporary or contract-based appointments and received minimum wages since 2018 without being absorbed into the permanent public service.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Samarasinghe said the Government had decided to retain existing employees and integrate them into the public service rather than replacing them whenever a new administration comes to power.

“When a government changes, instead of replacing the existing ones and bringing in new ones, we, as a government, saw the need to make you a part of it while the existing ones continue to fulfill the expectations of the government for the benefit of the people,” he said.

The Minister noted that there had been no increase in public sector allowances since 2016 and no major recruitments to the public service since 2018, resulting in a large number of vacancies. He said a recent Cabinet paper had identified around 332,000 vacancies in the public service.

He further stated that the Government had approved the recruitment of more than 100,000 public servants through a committee headed by the Prime Minister’s Secretary, while additional recruitments would be considered based on requests submitted by ministries according to their operational requirements.

Referring to the budget proposal presented by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Minister said employees recruited before 2019 were now being absorbed into the permanent service, while a separate programme was being prepared for others who joined the public sector thereafter.

He urged the newly appointed permanent employees to contribute productively to the public service and be prepared to serve wherever they are needed.

“Today is a special moment in your lives. As a people-centred government, we are fulfilling a promise made to the people. You are joining the permanent public service at a time when the Government is working to move the country forward,” he said.

The event was attended by the Minister’s Personal Secretary Wasantha Dissanayake, Acting Secretary to the Ministry Gilma Dahanayake, Additional Secretary U.S.N. Fernando and other officials.