450,000 BOI workers to get 15% wage hike from January
Some 450,000 workers at Sri Lanka’s Free Trade Zones are in for a bonanza after the government on Tuesday (today) announced that wages would be increased by 15 % with effect from January 2010, trade union officials said.
The announcement was made by Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Dhammika Perera to a delegation from ALARM (Apparel Industry Labour Movement) led by officials Palitha Athukorala and Anton Marcus at a meeting at the BOI this morning. The meeting had been arranged by Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa whom the delegation met on Monday evening at Temple Treess.
“We approached both main candidates – President Mahinda Rajapaksa and General Sarath Fonseka – to improve on the wages of the workers and other issues,” said Mr Athukorala. ALARM is a collective of trade unions and civil society groups working in the apparel industry.
The BOI is charged with setting wages and last month announced that workers will get a Rs 500 increment for 2010, an annual announcement. The 15% increase is on top of the Rs 500 and accordingly new entrants and experienced workers would get an increase from this month of between Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000. New entrants at the BOI start on a salary of Rs 6,750 while a worker with some experience gets around Rs 10,000. More experienced workers get more.
ST
Some 450,000 workers at Sri Lanka’s Free Trade Zones are in for a bonanza after the government on Tuesday (today) announced that wages would be increased by 15 % with effect from January 2010, trade union officials said.
The announcement was made by Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Dhammika Perera to a delegation from ALARM (Apparel Industry Labour Movement) led by officials Palitha Athukorala and Anton Marcus at a meeting at the BOI this morning. The meeting had been arranged by Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa whom the delegation met on Monday evening at Temple Treess.
“We approached both main candidates – President Mahinda Rajapaksa and General Sarath Fonseka – to improve on the wages of the workers and other issues,” said Mr Athukorala. ALARM is a collective of trade unions and civil society groups working in the apparel industry.
The BOI is charged with setting wages and last month announced that workers will get a Rs 500 increment for 2010, an annual announcement. The 15% increase is on top of the Rs 500 and accordingly new entrants and experienced workers would get an increase from this month of between Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000. New entrants at the BOI start on a salary of Rs 6,750 while a worker with some experience gets around Rs 10,000. More experienced workers get more.
ST
