The Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan
Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan sought clarity on whether the proposed plantation wage is a basic daily wage or aggregated earnings, calling for an unconditional Rs. 1,700 per day without requirements such as 25 days’ work. He said support would depend on effective implementation and recalled earlier demands for higher wages that were not delivered. He also raised salary anomalies and promotion issues affecting Management Assistants, local authority clerical officers, and graduates, proposing a return to competitive examination-based promotions and the application of MN3 rather than MN2 salary scales. He urged the Government to protect the interests of public servants and the plantation community, noting their electoral support, and said he would address plantation sector matters further during the relevant ministry debate.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Is it basic pay or aggregated daily earnings? We expect a daily Rs. 1,700 without conditions such as mandatory 25 days.
¶ 02 We agree to support if you ensure implementation. Previously, your side demanded not less than Rs. 2,000 and then failed to deliver after “marriage.” Please act now.
¶ 03 Additionally, Management Assistants face salary anomalies and promotion issues. Restore the pre-2013 competitive examination-based promotions (not purely seniority), as many progress to Administrative Officers and Divisional Secretaries. In local authorities, officers who rose from Clerk posts now get promotions only after 10 years; hold exams for merit-based progression.
¶ 04 Graduates earn less than some unskilled workers. Apply MN3 rather than MN2 scales, and address related issues. Many public servants voted for the NPP; protect their interests. The plantation community too voted significantly for you—do not let them down. I will speak further during the Plantation Ministry debate. I hope you will safeguard all currently employed.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 4 March 2025 ·No. 1742359468086980 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 4 March 2025. No. 1742359468086980. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/10375