JVP manipulated FTZ workers to gain political mileage - Minister Weerawansa

By Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities Minister Wimal Weerawansa called upon the working class not to fall prey to provocative acts of the reactionary forces who want to destroy the precious lives of workers to consolidate their position.

Commenting on the recent incident at Katunayake, Minister Weerawansa said the JVP misled the workers to resort to various unlawful activities which eventually resulted in the unfortunate death of a worker.

Certain groups who are connected to the JVP had pelted stones at unarmed Police personnel who had been deployed to maintain law and order in that area so that the Police would be forced to open fire. The JVP wanted to take the life of a worker.

That is why they compelled the workers who had engaged in the demonstration to pelt stones at the police.

“Even if the Free Trade Zone workers behaved in a provocative manner, the Police has no right to shoot them using live ammunition. In such a situation, the Police is duty bound to act in a responsible manner.

“The Police has no right whatsoever to behave or resort to acts as those committed by ordinary people behaving in an unruly manner. Therefore, we have requested President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take action against all top policemen who had taken the law into their hands,” Weerawansa said.

According to the Minister, of the 48,000 workers in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone, only 5,000 had participated in this protest. He alleged that the JVP-backed trade union was behind this incident. Having faced severe setbacks, the JVP attempts to retain its power even by taking the lives of innocent workers.

The JVP will never achieve its narrow political objectives through such provocative acts.The Minister said that the Government has already rectified several shortcomings in the private sector pension scheme which also covers expatriate workers and those in the self-employment sector as well. Amendments have already been introduced, entitling the dependents to the pension after the demise of the pensioner.

A private sector employee should have completed at least 10 years of service in a workplace to become entitled to the pension. However, the JVP, UNP and some trade unions funded by NGOs attempt to mislead the private sector employees that they would be deprived of their ETF and EPF benefits due to this private sector pension scheme.

“We categorically deny this and say that this is just a move by the JVP, UNP and some trade unions to mislead private sector employees,” he said.

However,the Minister said that there is a shortcoming on the part of the Government as well in that the Labour Ministry did not educate workers about this pension scheme before it was presented in Parliament. This paved the way for certain elements who attempted to take political advantage on this issue in manipulating and forcing some Free Trade Zone workers to resort to various provocative acts.

Minister Weerawansa said Free Trade Zone workers had raised the issue whether they could draw the pension after completing five years of service, because most Free Trade Zone workers, having completed five years of service, leave their jobs.

However, after completing five years of service later in any other private sector workplace, they become entitled to the pension scheme. The Free Trade Zone employees had not been educated properly about this.

As a result, some reactionary forces misled workers and compelled them to resort to various provocative acts to gain political mileage.