Private sector minimum wage to rise to Rs. 30,000

It has been decided, following discussions, to raise the minimum wage of a private sector employee who works 25 days a month to Rs. 30,000, Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said.

He made the announcement while addressing a trade union conference on Friday (7 November).

"The government we formed has completed two years. A good situation has been created in the country. The next budget will be presented soon," he said.

There will be opportunities to put forward more views and proposals concerning working people when the third budget is presented, he added.

This government was formed to protect working people, to protect the country and to rebuild it, he pointed out.

He said legal amendments were under way to resolve the serious problems faced by employees who worked at private sector establishments that closed across the country during the crisis period.

He explained that a minimum wage for the country's private sector workers had now been fixed, and that it had been decided after discussion to raise to Rs. 30,000 the minimum monthly wage of an employee working 25 days, wherever they are employed.

The minister said further wage increases would also be discussed in future, and that decisions had been taken not only on safeguarding funds such as the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees' Trust Fund (ETF), but also on how working people could make use of them.