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The Sri Lanka Chamber of Small Industry while congratulating President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on the success of the efforts towards the restoration of political stability, drew her attention to three clauses in the Memorandum of Understanding which would adversely affect small industrialists.

Clause 10 refers to a task force to be appointed to review the cases of institutions and individual entrepreneurs who have defaulted loan repayments.

The time frame suggested for recovery is three months. "Many small manufacturers who have defaulted should not be penalised because their poor performance is not of their own seeking but the result of a deteriorated economic phase the country is now going through. "Please give them a breathing space of 12 months to help them recover." The Chamber's President Aloy R. Jayawardene appealed in his letter.

Clause II which calls for a Select Committee formed of representatives of all political parties to examine problems faced by local industry. The Chamber suggested that a task force comprising local industrialists be appointed instead. Its terms of reference should include the drawing up of remedies which will help industrialists out of their weaknesses too.

Jayawardene referring to clause 17 which calls for a committee to inquire into matters relating to the ILO Convention which has been ratified but is not in force told the 'Daily News' that its provisions run counter to the interests of the industrial and business sectors.

It is these sectors that are affected by the strong labour laws prevailing at present and they should be represented in the committee.

"With the prevalent economic crisis, we should be given the right to lay off labour until such time as we really get back to production," Jayawardene's appeal to the President said.

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