When Sri Lanka was facing a serious economic crisis, the quickest and most efficient way to increase the country’s foreign exchange reserves was to increase remittances from overseas workers, and therefore, as the Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment, he personally intervened to open up foreign employment opportunities that were not open to Sri Lankans at that time, said former Minister of Labor and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakakara.
Sri Lankans were able to take up shipbuilding in Korea, seasonal jobs in the agricultural sector and Israeli jobs accordingly, he further stated, adding that each of these jobs came with high salaries and attractive working conditions.
The former minister made this statement while participating in a media conference held on the controversial Korean E-8 visa. Giving further details, former minister Manusha Nanayakakara said:
”These days, many people are talking about the Korean E-8 visa. In fact, although several countries in the world have received jobs in this E-8 category, Sri Lanka has not received any. Therefore, we investigated the matter. It was confirmed that certain parties are using various tactics to send people to Korea using this visa category without registering with the Foreign Employment Bureau. It is as unsafe, as It is illegal. Accordingly, we called the Korean ambassador and inquired about it.
The ambassador explained to us that once she got the visa from the country, she could not refuse it. Accordingly, we thought that these opportunities should be legally provided to our youth. Later, I went to Korea and met the state governors of that country and requested that these E-8 jobs be provided to Sri Lanka as well. At that time, they explained to us that agreements for E-8 jobs should be entered into between the states of Korea and the provincial councils of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, we tried to obtain cabinet approval. The cabinet secretary explained that according to the 13th amendment, a provincial council in Sri Lanka cannot enter into an agreement with a foreign country. Accordingly, we informed Korea of the situation. Considering the situation that Sri Lanka was facing at that time, Korea told us that it was ready to enter into a M.O.U with Sri Lanka for E-8 jobs until the legal situation was resolved later. Accordingly, then the agreement was signed.
These jobs are based on the season. Since there was a need for workers during that period, they also issued visas to Sri Lanka as a pilot project. Accordingly, we called the officers of the Foreign Employment Bureau and instructed them to make a system to send workers to Korea under the E-8 category. They issued a circular for that purpose, which allowed them to register with the bureau by suspending the ”self” system. However, due to some shortcomings in the circular they had prepared, a legal problem arose in sending workers to Korea. With that issue it was little delayed. The election also came.
Accordingly, the General Manager and Legal Department of the bureau agreed to cancel the circular and send those who had obtained visas to Korea on a self basis. But at the last moment, it did not work.
Accordingly, the problem arose because the proper procedures were not prepared. These visas were not those that I personally received. But I personally requested for this. What needs to be done now is to send the people who received the visas to Korea either through the self system or through the bureau’s intervention as a job order. Otherwise, we may lose this job category in the future.”