The Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe - Deputy Minister of Labour

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.

¶ 02 I extend my respects to the people of Gampaha and the whole country. From Gampaha, we obtained the highest number of votes and the highest number of seats in both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections. This victory is historic — we won 21 of 22 districts as a Sri Lankan nation, across Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim communities.

¶ 03 Some in the Opposition speak as if fearing a media crackdown and arrests. If what we have is insufficient to defeat racism and religious extremism, we will even introduce new laws; we are ready to enact and enforce what is needed. Even as our leadership faces social media attacks, we have not retaliated unlawfully. But when past candidates displayed “2024 Martyrs Day” and other banned commemorations, the law was not enforced. What good is a police that does not act?

¶ 04 State sector workers contributed greatly to this victory, delivering 80 percent-plus majorities across districts. As a long-time trade unionist and now a Deputy Minister of the NPP Government, I salute them. The public is not satisfied with the current state service; now the state sector must help build the renaissance and move the country forward. Let us end old bad habits and cease undue pressures on principals, teachers, and directors. Do not force events; focus on serving the public. We call on the entire public service to join hands with us.

¶ 05 Public servants, too, face problems — structural, salary anomalies, promotions, and transfers. We have pledged to introduce a National Salary Structure to correct anomalies, and the President reiterated it in the policy statement. We will ensure the state service is de-politicized and allowed to function independently.

¶ 06 In the private sector, plantations, and semi-government, workers face many issues. At progress meetings in the Labour Ministry, we saw that wages determined by Wages Boards are often inadequate, and minimum wage orders were long neglected. We will act to create fair wage determinations with good relations between employers and employees. Let us all unite to rebuild the country.

¶ 07 As former General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Teachers’ Service Union, I must say teachers still face many issues — promotions have stalled; nearly 100,000 are blocked due to the module system. We must resolve these swiftly. There are problems in the Principals’ Service and among Teacher Instructors too, and we will work with the Education Minister — the Hon. Prime Minister — to address them.

¶ 08 Regarding the protest yesterday in front of the Education Ministry by school development officers: it should not have occurred at that time. Only 20 days have passed since the election and the third Cabinet meeting was being held. Talks held with the Prime Minister during the caretaker period could not take binding decisions. They did not seek discussions with the new Cabinet after 18th; instead they protested, leading to unfortunate clashes where three police officers were injured. Let us allow the new Government space to engage and find solutions. We must adhere to service regulations; for teachers, the service constitution clearly sets out recruitment and promotions. We will correct past wrongs, not repeat them.

¶ 09 Hon. Deputy Speaker: Hon. Deputy Minister, you have one more minute.

¶ 10 We assure the people: the trust you placed in the NPP on 21 September and 14 November will not be betrayed. Our 21 Ministries are working collectively toward our goals. We have already begun key initiatives — digitization of the state and economy, “Clean Sri Lanka,” and a programme to eradicate rural poverty. We ask the entire public service to join hands and help rebuild the country. Thank you.