Local workers at Port City stage protest

COLOMBO (News1st): A group of employees attached to the Colombo Port City project staged a protest on Tuesday, citing they have not been called to work since March 20. These employees with more than three years of experience had joined the project in 2017. "They kept these gates closed restricting the employees while the Chinese freely roam," Kanishka Heshan, a protestor said. He alleged that the Chinese attached to the project are allowed to enter using a special pass. "Has this been taken over by the Chinese? There are plenty of people who are suffering because of this," Nishan Munasinghe, another protestor queried. He said that the Commissioner of Labour, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, and the Port City Project manager have not taken action despite being informed about it. The protesters also charge that those employed in the project, do not receive proper facilities. Labour department officers who arrived at the location said they cannot pay salaries to these workers as their employers have not submitted the documents. "EPF letter, attendance sheets and the payslips were asked via emails. However, they haven't responded," an officer pointed out. He said that the labour department had asked for the documents relating to February, March and April.