Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said that although, according to the Declaration of Assets and. Liabilities Act, trade union leaders of government and semi-government institutions should submit their assets and liabilities statements to the Secretary of the Ministry of Labour annually, no union leader has provided such a statement so far.
Accordingly, he stated that the Secretary of the Ministry of Labour is currently making efforts to obtain assets and liabilities statements from such union leaders.
The Minister also stated that although the Ministry of Labour has not acted on the matter in the past, the Ministry Secretary will request such assets liabilities statements in the future from union leaders from government and semi-government institutions.
“Government employees are bound by the Institutional Code. It mentions the guidelines when appointing officers to trade unions. Some employees who have worked in trade unions for twenty to thirty years have not done their entitled work, even for a single day. The people should decide whether it is correct to appoint people to trade unions in government and semi-government institutions and pay salaries for 20 years for not doing their designated work. Government businesses are maintained by people’s taxes. Is it fair to make collective agreements and give such union leaders the opportunity to get two or three salaries and receive millions of overtime payments even when such institutions are making losses? According to the Assets and Liabilities Act, all union leaders are required to provide assets and liabilities statements. But until now, no trade union leader has given statements of their assets and liabilities. Therefore, the Secretary of the Ministry of Labour is making renewed efforts to get their assets and liabilities statements at the earliest” the minister stated.