Public Service :

Benefits intact

Rasika SOMARATHNA

The Government yesterday reiterated that it had no intention of curtailing benefits and rights enjoyed by public servants.

“If the Government takes any action, it would be for the benefit of the public sector and not vice-versa,” Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardane said.

Commenting on the controversial notification issued by the Public Services Commission, the Minister said the present Government which gave the public sector its due place, would never resort to imposing such restrictions. The Minister gave a detailed description on the series of benefits given to the public sector by the present Government in its short span in office.

He said the Government had provided new opportunities to 38,841 persons in the first three months of this year alone. New recruits had grown from 18,403 in 2007 to 67,378 in 2008, the Minister added.

The Government has also taken steps to fill the 336 existing vacancies in the first two months of this year. He said since 2005, around 30,000 persons had been recruited to the health sector with another 4,099 given appointments to various posts in State management assistance sectors.

A further 45,000 new recruitment had taken place in the education sector, he added. Accordingly monies paid as salaries had increased from Rs.44,950 million in 2005 to Rs.66,402 million by 2008 for the public sector alone. Salaries paid for security forces’ personnel had gone up from Rs.49,033 million to Rs. 88,979 million. To

Pensions had gone up from Rs.46,782 million to Rs.73,000 million, he added.

He also pointed out that the Government had taken steps to restore certain benefits slashed by the previous UNP Government.

“Thus, as a Government which propagated the cause of the public sector, like no other, it would never resort to slashing it,” he added.