The Hon. Waruna Liyanage

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the time to speak on the expenditure Heads of the Ministries of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, and Labour. Having served long at Pradeshiya Sabha and Provincial Council levels before coming to Parliament, I value this opportunity.

¶ 02 Many MPs spoke on Labour, with proposals and laws to update. I ask the Hon. Labour Minister to amend the Factories Ordinance (No. 45 of 1942/1950) and the Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act (No. 19 of 1954). Our workers have long operated under these old laws; reform will be a significant service.

¶ 03 Workers have been under great pressure. In the plantation sector, there are 42 state estates and around 300 leased estates. Many employees have not been paid EPF and ETF—sums in the millions. Has any allocation been made this year to settle EPF/ETF arrears for workers of the State Plantation Corporation? This is a workers’ Government; please intervene.

¶ 04 In the private sector, about 8 million are employed, but only around 4 million receive EPF/ETF. The Ministry must strengthen enforcement. The Government plans to recruit 30,000 to the public service, but I urge prioritizing labour inspectors and enforcement officers to ensure EPF/ETF coverage reaches the remaining 4 million. Existing officers are too few; even those in service need better petrol allowances to perform duties.

¶ 05 On Public Administration: In the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council, about 200 workers are yet to be made permanent; nationwide, around 2,000. Without permanency, they cannot access Agrahara insurance. Local authorities rely heavily on such workers, yet they have no insurance coverage. I urge the Minister to enable Agrahara-like coverage by deducting a small amount (e.g., Rs. 600) monthly, and to improve claims—have the scheme pay hospitals directly at discharge, as private insurers do, rather than reimburse later. Also, increase the parents’ age limit for benefits from 70 to 75 or 80.

¶ 06 Vehicle permits: While general permits are suspended, many senior public servants retire without receiving their retirement vehicle permit, which is unfair. We are not asking for MPs’ permits, but please allow entitled retirees their retirement permits. Also, many were denied a first-permit opportunity—granting a first vehicle permit after five years of service would encourage retention and reduce brain drain.

¶ 07 Regarding MPs’ insurance: the President has reduced MPs’ insurance from Rs. 1 million to Rs. 250,000. Note this is paid to a private company from members’ contributions; the Government should clarify its payment to the company after the reduction. We recall the tragic killing of former MP Athukorala in Polonnaruwa; such incidents led to certain protections—not out of personal greed.

¶ 08 On local government law: I felt ashamed at the recent LG election law changes. I opposed the Bill even if the party voted for it, because it would create about 17,000 members from about 14,000 before, while the Budget deficit is already Rs. 2,200 billion (expenditure Rs. 7,190 bn; revenue Rs. 4,990 bn). Adding 17,000 members could cost about Rs. 170 billion in salaries alone. In Elpitiya PS, after elections, seats split 15–15, making governance impossible. We need strong councils; otherwise, the Government itself suffers. Please correct these errors—including the unfair nomination deposits: Rs. 5,000 for independents versus about Rs. 1,900 for others. If MP Sumanthiran could fix PC issues in a day with amendments, we too should have corrected these. Now, we may have lost five years; still, if possible, please act.

¶ 09 Thank you.