Govt. solves Samurdhi officers' problems

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The All Island Samurdhi Development and Agricultural Research Production Assistant Officers Society yesterday stressed that nearly 60 per cent of problems encountered by them have already been sorted out by the Government on the directives of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

The Samurdhi movement which was on a decline during former UNF Government has shown steady progress under the administration of present Government. However, there are several problems within the Samurdhi movement which had to be overcome immediately, General Secretary of the Society S.A.D.Jagath Kumara told a media briefing at Hotel Nippon yesterday.

He said the union extends its gratitude to the President sorting out certain problems faced by Samurdhi officers and uplift the Samurdhi movement.

He said during the period of the UNF Government, their trade union could not obtain positive response to the problems faced by Samurdhi Development Officers (SDOs) and there was doubt over job security of the SDOs. In addition, the former Government slashed Samurdhi subsidies.

" With the appointment of the new Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, our trade union can now sort out several problems faced in relation to our profession.

We are confident that we would be able to overcome other problems within the Samurdhi movement under the present Government. This Government has already granted permanent appointments to a large number of Samurdhi Development Officers."

He said the Union has already sent a letter to President Kumaratunga requesting ways to overcome the existing problems in the Samurdhi movement and uplift the living conditions of Samurdhi beneficiary families. "We have also requested the President to provide an opportunity to our trade union for a discussion," he said.

In this letter, the union has requested the President to restore the Samurdhi subsidies to needy Samurdhi beneficiary families who have had their subsidies cut off by the former UNF Government. The Union has also urged the President to increase the present subsidy given to Samurdhi beneficiaries by a minimum of Rs.300 in keeping with the escalating cost of living.

Jagath Kumara also noted that they had requested the President to increase the Rs. 5,000 allowance given on the death of a Samurdhi beneficiary upto Rs. 10,000 under the Samurdhi Social Security Fund. "To safeguard the employment of Samurdhi officers, we have also requested the President to transform the Samurdhi Authority into a department or a corporation.

He said the Trade Union had a discussion with Minister Wanniarachchi on July 18 to discuss the problems faced by SDOs.

During this discussion, the Minister agreed to grant a 12-month interest free credit facility to the tsunami-affected Samurdhi Development Officers and ask for financial allocations from the Treasury to grant the salary to SDOs who died in the tsunami catastrophe upto 55 years.