Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said there are six million workers in the informal sector who contribute to the country’s economic development, but there has been no proper programme to uphold their dignity, security and professional status.
The Minister emphasized that his Ministry started the ‘Garu Saru’ programme to give dignity, security and respect to these six million workers.
“Also, our aim is to introduce a proper social security mechanism for these workers to protect them when they are unable to work and when they are old”.
The Minister said this during a meeting held at the Labour and Foreign Employment Ministry on Wednesday (17) with those employed in the fisheries sector. The meeting was a part of a series of such events organised under the ‘Garu Saru’ programme, initiated by the Labour and Foreign Employment Ministry to uphold the dignity, security and professional status of all those employed in the informal sector of work in Sri Lanka.
The Minister went on to say, “In other countries of the world, whether a person is a fisherman, a plumber, a doctor or an engineer, they are entitled to the same privileges. All of them have the same level of respect. In our country people are divided on party lines, ethnicity and also according to their professions. This is to take various advantages. By doing so, they try to keep the fishermen and the plantation workers at a low social status and deny them privileges and respect enjoyed by some other professionals.
