Katunayake FTZ losses over Rs 600m:

‘Workers manipulated by JVP’

Ravi Ladduwahetty

The recent industrial unrest and strikes in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone were being manipulated by the JVP and another trade union leader - chairman of the Velanda Kalapeeya Podu Sevaka Sangamaya, whose membership did not even amount to 500, Free Trade Zone Manufacturers’ Association Chairman Dhammika Fernando told the Daily News yesterday.

He attributed the unrest to the misinformation and non information regarding the proposed Private Sector Employees’ Pension Scheme, which made the employees in the zone understand that they were going to lose their retirement benefits, such as EPF and ETF. He said the financial losses in the aftermath of the recent industrial unrest and strike in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone is estimated to be well over Rs 600 million.

‘This was indeed an unfortunate incident which could have easily been prevented. We have lost well over $ 6 million worth production due to the strikes and the industrial unrest between May 24 and 30,’ Fernando said. ‘There were simmering problems and rumblings within the zone in the last three decades but this was the largest one by far. We just cannot afford to have these disruptions in the wake of having to run our 90 factories in the Zone at full capacity round the clock following the export markets coming out of the recession and the global economic meltdown,’ he noted.

‘It was incumbent upon the Board of Investment to educate and disseminate the employees of the zone on the numerous facets of the issue, which, would have easily prevented the employees from been instigated,’ Fernando said.

He said that the Association has had meetings with Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa yesterday and on Tuesday to determine how such actions could be prevented in the future and especially to ensure that the image of the country as an investment destination is not harmed.