INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Parliament approved five regulations moved in line with the Factories Ordinance, Shrama Vasana Fund (Amendment) Bill, and the Wages Boards
The Shrama Vasana Fund (Amendment) Bill, which would amend the Shrama Vasana Fund Act No.12 of 1998; would legalise the change of the
Sharama Vasana lottery name to Jathika Sampatha, extend the benefits to cover the employees and their dependents in the event of death and
injuries, shoulder the cost to seek legal remedy in the event of termination, provide temporary compensation to employees during temporary
suspensions on pending investigations, and to provide recognised exemplary contributions made for the betterment of employees.The
regulations moved under the Factory Ordinance would enforce heavy fines and imprisonment of employers who make various excuses and fail to
The fine which stood at Rs.250, along with the six-month imprisonment; would be increased to a fine between Rs.5,000 & Rs.10,000, along with
an imprisonment not exceeding one year
If the employer has failed to maintain records of the employees, they would have to pay a Rs.20,000 fine and serve a one-year prison
sentence.The approval for the five regulations amends the registration of factories, as well as the approval given for factory buildings,
registration of steam boilers, issuance of certificates for examination of steam boilers and other pressure vessels, protection of workers
from excessive noise, and general standards of lighting.According to the regulations, no person would be allowed to construct a factory
building on any site, make any extension or alteration to any factory building, or convert any other building into a factory
building—unless the plant of such construction, extension, or conversion, as the case may be, are approved by the Chief Factory Inspecting
Engineer or the District Factory Inspecting Engineer of the Labour Department.The regulations on protecting workers from excessive noise
state that it is the duty of the owner or occupier of a factory to provide any employee exposed to a sound intensity of 85dB or more with
They state that the intensity should be measured within an integrating sound level meter.According to the new regulations, it is the duty of
the owner or the occupier of a factory to provide for natural or artificial lighting in individual work units or work stations, and at
places of particular risks, to avoid stroboscopic effect and glare, or causing hazards which include electrical fires, radiation, or
collisions.
Under Shrama Vasana Fund and Wages Boards amendment bills: Protection of employees& rights ensured: RavindraLabour and Trade
Union Relations Minister Ravindra Samaraweera said that the employees& rights would be protected further with the passing of the Shrama
Vasana Fund (Amendment) Bill and the Wages Boards (Amendment) Bill.He said so yesterday in Parliament, initiating the debate on the Shrama
Vasana Fund (Amendment) Bill, Wages Boards (Amendment) Bill, and five regulations under the Factories Ordinance.Minister Samaraweera said
that the Shrama Vasana Act would be identified as the Jathika Sampatha Act following the amendment
Benefits have so far been granted only to employees under the Shrama Vasana Act and hereafter, dependents of employees would also benefit
under the Jathika Sampatha Act.He added that following the amendments, the employees would be provided with legal aid on their removal from
employment by their employers
The minister further said that with the amendments to the Wages Boards Act, laws surrounding it would be strengthened if it were to be
breached.He added that the fine at such a breach would be increased from Rs.5000 to Rs.10,000, while an additional one-year imprisonment
would also be given.In addition, if the documents were not annexed, the culprits would be fined Rs.20,000 and given another one-year
imprisonment, the minister added.The minister also said that factories would be prevented from recruiting manpower employees for mainstream
production with the amendment.&This piece of law is applicable even for employees of garment factories
The manpower employees do not receive an Employees& Provident Fund (EPF), and this amendment would create a bargaining power for such
employees,& Minister Samaraweera said.&The amendments would prevent employers from taking the services of the manpower employees at a time
when the mainstream employees were taking trade union action,& he added.He said that these amendments would help monitor factories; to see
if they were maintaining the proper standards.No liquor licences granted under current regime: KiriellaLeader of the House and Public
Enterprise, Kandyan Heritage, and Kandy Development Minister Lakshman Kiriella said that not a single liquor licence has been granted during
the Good Governance regime
During a heated argument, the minister said that the media was reporting baseless news during the current election period.He said so
yesterday when Chief Opposition Whip Mahinda Amaraweera demanded the government to hold an investigation into the news items published in
newspapers on the issuance of 84 liquor licences without the knowledge of the minister overseeing the matter.&I have made a statement
regarding the matter on an earlier occasion as well,& Minister Kiriella said
&Not a single liquor licence has been issued under this government
This is an effort by the Opposition to sling mud at us, especially because an election is around the corner,& he added.
Minister Kiriella
also said that MPs would not have anything else to do in Parliament if they spent time arguing about false reports published in print media
He said no one had asked for liquor licences, and that it has never been discussed in Cabinet or outside.MP Amaraweera, who raised this
issue, said liquor licences have been issued to 84 MPs
This, he said, is unacceptable when efforts are being made to discourage people from consuming liquor
MP Amraweera said the Finance Minister had said that the licences have been issued without his knowledge.oint Opposition Parliamentarian
Bandula Gunawardene said that Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera should make a statement in Parliament regarding the matter.Opposition MP
Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said that the news could not be false as the Finance Minister said that he would initiate an investigation into
He demanded the list of those who obtained licences be revealed in Parliament.‘Final decision on artistes& royalty issues by next
week&Education and Human Resources Development Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) Chairman and United National Party MP Prof
Ashu Marasinghe said in Parliament that the SOC could come to decision on the royalty issues of artistes, yesterday.He added that the SOC
would take its final decision after meeting with the artistes next week.He said so yesterday in response to a query made by Opposition MP
Chandima Weerakkody, who said that being deprived of joining the SOC by MP Marasinghe was a breach of privileges
He added that when he went to represent the interests of artists at the SOC, its Prof
Marasinghe prevented him as he was not a member of the committee.In response, MP Marasinghe said that in accordance with the standing
orders, an MP who is not a member of the SOC should have the permission of its Chairman to raise a question.He added that before MP
Weerakkody was given the permission, he made a fuss and left
However, the SOC lasted until 12.50pm and the issue was sold there.‘Discontinuing project impractical due to debt servicing&The Rajapaksa
regime initiated the Uma Oya project without conducting proper environmental assessments, and that it has led to irreversible environmental
damage, Mahaweli Development and Environment State Minister Ajith Mannapperuma said in Parliament, yesterday.&The current government is
trying its best to re-drive this project in order to make the best possible benefits available to the public
I accept that a proper feasibility study was not conducted, and that the use of wrong equipment has led to this devastation, however, we
can''t use these reasons as excuses,& he added.&In 2012, the previous government initiated many projects utilising foreign loans, and at
present, we are burdened with the task of having to repay these loans using public money
Debt servicing continues regardless of the change in government; we can''t just stop a project and return the money while highlighting the
bad decisions taken by the previous government,& the minister said.
Minister Mannapperuma said that the Uma Oya Project was also similar to
the Lotus Tower Project, as described by President Sirisena during the tower inauguration
He said the loans taken by the previous regime was now a burden on the current government as a large amount of money was missing.Question on
President foreign visits since 2013: No answer from government for nine months: JayatissaJanatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Dr
Nalinda Jayatissa complained to Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri yesterday, stating that for nine months, the government has not responded
to his question regarding the foreign visits of the President since 2013.Dr
Jayatissa has directed an oral question to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on the number of foreign tours President Maithripala Sirisena
had engaged in from 2013 to date, and the objectives of those tours.He had also requested to know the number of individuals who participated
in each foreign tour, their designations, and the amount of money spent on each foreign tour, separately, in terms of each year.These
questions were on the Order Paper, yesterday
However, during the round of questions for oral answers, the government informed Dr
Jayatissa that the Premier requested three more months to respond to these questions.The JVP MP then pointed out that when he raised the
same set of questions the first time in January, the PM had requested three months back then as well—and that the period had come to an
end on June 18.&The PM did not provide answers on June 18 and requested another three months
The questions are on the Order Paper today (17 September), but I did not receive answers
This is a blatant violation of privileges of MPs,& he added.The Deputy Speaker informed the government that it must provide answers to Dr
Jayatissa questions next time.According to Standing Order 32(4), a question shall be answered at least on the third occasion that it is
scheduled to be answered.Croc spotted near Parliament access roadA crocodile was spotted yesterday afternoon on a bank of the Diyawanna
Lake, near an access road to the Parliament.Crocodiles have been sighted in the lake on many occasions and crocodile eggs, too, have been
