In the aftermath of Katunayake events:

Business leaders underline importance of industrial peace

Ravi Ladduwahetty

Four frontline business leaders in interviews with Daily News Business yesterday, said that the country should be free of industrial unrest for its economy to progress. Their comments came in the aftermath of the Katunayake Investment Promotion Zone labour unrest from May 24 triggered by issues relating to the Private Sector Pensions Bill, which they said should be studied and acknowledged by stakeholders.

Commercial Bank Chairman and former Chairman of the Planters’ Association of Sri Lanka, Banks Association of Sri Lanka and Joint Business Forum Mahendra Amarasuriya said, “It is important for peace to remain and without industrial peace, productivity would decline and with it the foreign direct investment would also decline and investor confidence.”

He also said that the Private Sector Pensions Bill should have had the consensus of the trade unions and the other stakeholders to make it a success.

“It has been said that amendments have been made but there was no clarity and that was what triggered the Katunayake crisis. One of the drawbacks was that employees who worked in the Free Trade Zones were not adhering to that kind of employment for long periods and the fact that they would have had to wait long periods was the reason for the cause of the strike,” he said.

Deputy Chairman of the Industrial Association of Sri Lanka and Overseas Realty Ceylon Ltd Group CEO Pravir Samarasinghe said, “The freedom of peaceful demonstration is acceptable to industrialists so long as they are not illegal and we always encourage social dialogue between employers and employees for peaceful industrial relations. We will also condemn any illegal industrial action which is unreasonable whether it is by employers or employees.”

He said, “In this particular instance, it was very unfortunate that there was loss of life and damage caused to property and this action is being condemned by us. It was a very peaceful and legal demonstration and the Police should have acted with constraint.

“While the action and the demonstration stemmed from the pension scheme that was to be introduced, we as industrialists are not opposed to a pension scheme for private sector employees but we have consistently said that it should be studied properly so that it would be sustainable. We also say that it should be deliberated among all the stakeholders and finalized at the National Labour Advisory Commission chaired by the Labour Minister and represented by both employer and employee, but unfortunately, the bill in its original form was not acceptable to both employer and employee.

Carsons Cumberbatch PLC and Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC Chairman and former Chairman of the Industrial Association of Sri Lanka Cubby Wijetunga said, “Sri Lanka is a country which has industrial peace and it is a democratic country especially at a time of political stability and people have the right to express themselves.

“What Sri Lanka has to emphasize is, ‘I am, you are and we are all Sri Lankans’. There is a need to think that Sri Lanka is the motherland of all its citizens and to think that Sri Lanka is our own motherland.”

The Institute of Directors, chairman and former chairman of both the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Colombo Tea Traders Association Mahen Dayananda said, “Industrial peace is absolutely essential to further the cause of productivity and efficiency, both of which are essential components if Sri Lanka is to succeed in an increasingly competitive international environment.

“Against this background, the recent incidents in the Katunayake EPZ are indeed most unfortunate. More consultation and deliberation with the trade unions and other related organisations prior to the formalization of the private sector pension scheme would have been most desirable. However, it is encouraging to note that suitable amendments in consultation with all related stakeholders will be made to the scheme in a manner to make it more acceptable to all concerned.”