Workers at the Sevanagala Sugar Factory who are engaged in strike action are to hold a special discussion on Thursday with Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, NewsFirst reported.
The talks will focus on the workers’ existing salaries and allowances — the first minister-level intervention since the plant shut.
The four demands
Chairman of Lanka Sugar Company, Wasantha Athula Kumara, said the workers have raised four main issues:
- Confirmation of the manpower requirement, together with prompt payment of salaries and allowances.
- 5kg of sugar per employee each month at a subsidised price of Rs. 80 per kilogram, as an incentive.
- Reinstatement and continuation of all incentives previously provided to employees.
- Continuation of health insurance benefits and scholarships for employees’ children without interruption.
The first demand goes to the heart of the dispute. Management said in August that it was conducting a formal manpower assessment and developing a new salary framework in consultation with the Salaries Commission, and that the process would not cut the wages of existing employees. The workers are seeking that the staffing level itself be settled.
How the standoff reached this point
The factory was closed until further notice on 29 August after production failed to restart. Operations were disrupted from 25 August, when a group of employees withdrew from their duties. Management said no production took place on the public holidays of 26 and 27 August, and closed the plant when work had still not resumed by 10 a.m. on 28 August.
The closure was partial rather than total. Sections classed as essential — the vacuum pans, crystallisers, centrifuges, weighing stations, cane yard, water, electrical, power plant, pumping, security, firefighting and cultivation units — continued running, while administrative and service sections shut.
Management said the closure was intended to limit losses from paying salaries and overtime with no output, and alleged that maintenance had been obstructed and lorries collecting sugar blocked. The Department of Labour formally notified the parties of the legal implications of the trade union action.
The factory underpins the livelihoods of sugarcane farmers across the Monaragala District, one of the country’s poorest.
Not reported
NewsFirst did not say how many workers are involved, whether the strike continues during the talks, what the company is prepared to offer, or when the factory might reopen. No other verified newsroom had carried the meeting at the time of writing.
