Organization of Professional Associations

Questions and answers

Necessity of Education Diploma

Question: I am a trained Maths teacher. While serving as a teacher, I followed a BSc (Bio-Science) degree programme at a University as an internal student. Accordingly, I got my salary transferred to the relevant degree scale.

For a graduate teacher, it is required to follow Education Diploma. As I am a trained-graduate teacher. Is it necessary to obtained Education Diploma? Isn’t there any concession for me?

T. Seneviratne, Badulla.

Answer: As a trained graduate teacher you are now probably in the Teacher Service grade 3-1. If you wish to progress in your career that is if you are aspiring to get the rent grade 2-2 and above you have to follow the Education Diploma.

This Diploma is conducted by the University of Colombo and very likely at Peradeniya as well. It is a one year full time course or can be followed as a two years weekend course.

Only graduates who have done a degree in Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) are exempted from the Diploma in Education. No other degree qualifies for exemption.

********************

Non-payment of wage to distressed housemaid

Question: I wish to bring the following facts for your kind consideration. I was employed in Riyadh as a housemaid for a period of two years from January 2006 for a salary of 400 SR. I was paid one year’s salary. I was not paid since February 2007. I was sent back to Sri Lanka without being paid for ten months since February.

In view of the above facts I shall be pleased if your kind self help me how to recover my due salary.

N. H. Leelawathie,
Tissamaharama.

Answer: We contacted the Bureau of Foreign Employment and according to them it is almost impossible to claim your unpaid wage once you leave the country of employment.

We understand that in countries like Saudi Arabia at the time of your departure at the airport they get you to sign a document stating that you have no further claim or to that effect. This is the point at which you are expected to make any complaint about any unpaid or under paid wages.

If you do complain they will stop you from departure and transfer you to a camp. Your employer will be summoned and questioned. The officials there are usually for the expatriate and tough with the employer who has to prove that all dues have been paid.

Trust this will be useful information to all others, who are still working or proposing to go to the Middle East for employment. Have you tried through the agency about your non payment.

The fact that your employer sent you before completion of the contracted period may be a plan to avoid paying you your full wage which he can be to his advantage as non-completion of the contracted period. We would still advice you to visit the Bureau of Foreign Employment regional office in Matara and give full details of your case.

********************

Unfair rates for water supply by National Water Supply and Drainage Board

Question: The rates for water consumption imposed by the NWS&DB at the level of consumption above 20 units per month is Rs. 30. The rate for consumption between 16 and 20 is Rs. 250. But this penal rate of Rs. 30 is unfair because it is calculated not for units above 20 but for all units above 16 if you exceed 20 units.

In the case of electricity consumption, the rates of charges are uniform and not retroactive or retro effective from a lower slab of consumption. So are the tax slabs when paying taxes.

There is also a big difference in the pattern of consumption of water and electricity. Electricity can be consumed in common by several members of a household such as for lighting, cooking, viewing TV, listening to radio etc.

So it is easy to control or curtail consumption of power. But the use of water is personal such as for washing ones face, bathing, toilet use and cannot be shared nor controlled as is consumption is absolutely essential for good health and hygiene.

The number of units of consumption will vary with the number of family members which is a very variable quantity and cannot be controlled by the head of the household. The only way of reducing the water bill may be to have two meters. But this is a waste of resources.

When I wrote to the Water Board and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) through the Consumer Affairs Authority the ridiculous reply was that this iniquitous provision is in the Gazette notification of 13.2.2005. Surely cannot the NWS&DB or the PUC suspend the operation of the Gazette regulation in the public interest and in the cause of good hygiene?

Hence, I appeal to you to take this matter up with the NWS&DB and the PUC and compel it to charge penal rates above 20 units only for units above 20 and not retro effectively from 16 units and suspend the operation of the Gazette regulation till it is amended.

Dr. Leo A. Fernando,
Pelawatte, Battaramulla.

Answer: We do agree with you on this anomaly of an unusual method of applying the units table to the rate per unit. We took this matter up with the National Water Supply and Drainage Board who at first stated that the methodology adapted by them is correct.

However, after some persuasion they say that they have to charge as stated in the Gazette. The good news is that they are willing to address this anomaly in the rent recent revision.

Accordingly, we have made a written submission for their consideration. So hopefully at the next revision which may be sooner than expected, this anomaly will be addressed.

NWS&DB cannot act in contradiction of the Gazette notification. The OPA cannot compel any other organisation to do things the way we want, we can only point out errors if any and appeal for rectification.

********************

ICTAD’s role in the private sector

Question: 1) In the private sector are there any arrangements to conduct examinations to promote those in the Supervisory grade to Executive (Engineers) grade as in the Government sector? If not who should organise it? Does the SLES cover the private sector too?

2) In the ICTAD publication ID/10, qualification and experience required for the posts of Chairman/MD/CEO, General Manager, Project Manager Chief Engineer are not mentioned but that required for lower grades (Engineer/Supervisor/Foreman) only are mentioned. Can the management appoint less qualified persons for those higher positions and in which case who should take action against them?

3) Each company has its own salary structure as well as different designations to person with similar qualifications and experience. Can some institution like the ICTAD, NCA supervise and regulate appointments and salaries to conform some standard?

S. Sri Padmannaban,
Narahenpita.

Answer: 1. The private sector can have their own arrangements depending on company priorities. Please also contact Executive Secretary, IESL (telephone 2698426, 2685490) to find out if they have any jurisdiction on these matters. SLES does handle only government sector administration.

2. To obtain a clearer idea, please meet Eng. Upalee Bulumulla at the OPA (call 2508011).

3. Non government companies have their own rules and regulations. Value of individuals are estimated on ‘marketability’, ‘efficiency’ and some age factor. This is the global trend today. However, please check with the Ministry of Labour if they have any specifications for salary structures of technical personnel, employed by the private sector.

********************

Procedure for a complaint against a Medical Practitioner

Question: I made a written complaint to the Sri Lanka Medical Council about the unsatisfactory behaviour of a Doctor of Medicine.

I was informed by the Sri Lanka Medical Council that I must submit the complaint in the form of an affidavit. Is this a real necessity or a way of discouraging complaints against doctors? Do other professions also insist on such procedures for complaints against their professionals?

Sisira Perera, Minuwangoda.

Answer: The Sri Lanka Medical Council has always followed this procedure for complaints to be in the form of an affidavit and there is a good reason for doing so.

This procedure ensures that the complaint is properly documented and that there is no back tracking. A complaint against a member (Doctor) to the SLMC is taken seriously and a proper inquiry is instituted.

Therefore if the complaint is in the form of an affidavit, there is no room for the complainant to change his or her mind or heart.

Also once such complaint is made the complainant is held liable therefore he or she cannot be influenced by a third party to change the stand taken. To our knowledge no other professional associations insists on an affidavit for a complaint.

Formalin scare: Some Perspectives

In the recent news, the use of formalin by the dealers/transporters/shop owners in the Bangladeshi fish market has raised a lot of concern, genuinely so, because Banglee’s ever lasting fondness for fish is well-known.

Hence the saying Machhe Bhate Bangalee. It’s time we have some perspectives on the issue of formalin use in fish.

First of all ‘what is formalin?’. To most of us it is the smell of the air when you enter any hospital/clinic in BD. Formalin is actually a generic term which describes a solution of 37% formaldehyde gas dissolved in water. (Formaldehyde is produced by adding oxygen to methyl alcohol - the first product in the fermentation process and also a common disinfectant, known as rubbing alcohol in U.S.)

Formalin is used to store biological specimens in laboratories, even preserving human bodies in medical profession known as embalm to prevent the tissues from natural decomposition. Formalin does that by irreversibly binding the protein in the cells with the DNA. But this can lead to deadly effect on living bodies in uncontrolled environment and if used in excess quantity.

Because formalin is readily soluble in water, if consumed it quickly transforms to formic acid (the same thing found in ant bites), which raises the acidity in blood leading to conditions like rapid, shallow breathing, blurred vision or complete blindness, hypothermia, and, in the most severe cases, coma or death. People who accidentally ingest large amount of formalin should seek immediate medical help.

Formalin tested on laboratory animals have shown to have carcinogenic (cancer causing) effect. On lighter side formalin can have allergic effect on people. It can cause moderate to severe skin rash and itching.

The use of formalin to prevent fish parasites is not entirely uncommon, but it has to be done in a very controlled way to prevent the toxic effect it might produce. Solutions of formalin for use on fish should contain 10 to 15% methyl alcohol, which inhibits formation of paraformaldehyde a highly toxic compound.

In USA only two kinds of commercial products have the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used on selected species of fishes. And even then, the products (not raw formalin) are used to give the fishes a ‘bath’ - meaning apply the formalin product on the fishes for few minutes and then transfer them to a container filled with fresh water to rinse off the excess of formalin.

These controlled products are effective on parasites only, not bacterial or fungal infections.

The temperature control is another huge factor when using formalin product (not raw formalin) for fish, because if the temperature is below 40 degree Fahrenheit (5 degree Celcius) then the toxic compound paraformaldehyde will be formed that has deadlier effect than formalin alone. The toxicity is also known to increase at a temperature higher than 75 F (21 C).

That is scary because in Bangladesh the temperature is almost always above that level.

It is conceivable that none of the measures discussed above are being taken by the fish dealers.

So the Ministry of the food better come up with some regulatory policies on this matter, guarantee that the fishes sold in the market places do not contain toxic forms of formalin.

- ZaFa Health and Safety

Send in your questions

“The Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA) will cover questions in all professions and subjects of common interest to the public in the Daily News OPA at Your Service page every Thursday.

Please make your questions brief. Questions can be directed to the OPA on e-mail, [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected] Fax: 2559770 or write to the Professional Centre, 275/75, Prof. Stanley Wijesundera Mawatha, off Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7.”