(Nanuoya Correspondent)

It is very clear and evident that a good number of bosses or managing directors of companies, garment factories, label manufacture etc., openly violate the laws with regard to EPF and ETF payments to employees. Some company owners commits miscalculation of EPF and ETF and nonpayment of stipulated allowance. It should be stated that although labour laws states clearly that regular monthly allowance plus the basic wages should constitute and EPF and ETF contributions, some managing directors have calculated EPF and ETF only on the basic wages, which amounts to an act of grave misconduct and deception.

Unscrupulous employers never realised that an employee, who had sweated long years now leaving his/her services clinging on to the last straw the EPF and ETF department. A veteran trade union representative told to ‘The Island’ and raised a question why are the officers of the Labour Department, even informed of the officers under the EPF and ETF law turn a blind eye to the sordid operation of errant employers.

He also said that the workers toiled under scorching sun and the torrential rain for the meagre salary, and committing of deception by the errane employers cannot be accepted. It is also to be noted that the Minister of Labour by a gazette notification ordered an allowance of Rs.400/- be paid to all employees drawing less than Rs.5000/- per mensum. Estate workers were deprived off this though one passive resistance was staged by the plantation workers. The trade union representatives with one voice demand that this allowance to be paid to the estate workers and their grievance to be redressed.