The Free Trade Zones & General Services Employees Union (FTZGSEU) in Sri Lanka commemorated World Day of Decent Work with the slogan “Ensure Decent Work By Paying a Living Wage”.

On October 7, members of the union organised a picket line in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone.  Workers held the picket line for more than one hour, although police attempted to disperse them under the pretext that the area is declared a high security zone.  In addition, the FTZGSEU’s affiliated trade union confederation held a joint seminar in Colombo to raise the awareness of the principals of ‘Decent Work’.

The FTZGSEU reports that employers are trying to use the global crisis to keep the minimum wage as low as possible.  The Board of Investments (BOI) of Sri Lanka, which is the governing body of the Free Trade Zone, has started discussions with manufacturers regarding the 2010 salary revision.  The FTZGESU has launched a campaign to pressure the BOI and manufacturers to increase wages so as to meet the basic requirements of workers.  As a signatory union of the Decent Work Country Program, the FTZGSEU is spreading the message that ‘Decent Work’ can only be provided with payment of a living wage.