The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Foreign Employment and Labour has revealed that several plantation companies have defaulted on Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) payments and have huge arrears to the EPF.

Meanwhile, it was also revealed before the committee that due to contradictions in the information given on Rs. 700 million paid by the companies in the estate sector, it has not been possible to include them into the accounts.

These issues were discussed when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Foreign Employment and Labor met on June 22 under the chairmanship of MP Hector Appuhami, the parliamentary communications department said.

The chairman of the committee instructed the representatives of the plantation companies to protect the employees and to carry out the arrears to be paid to the EPF and the current monthly payments in a systematic manner.

Furthermore, the committee advised the officials that by starting the accounts according to the National Identity Card number, the problems of having multiple accounts for the same person can be avoided, according to the parliamentary communications department.

State Minister Dr. Sitha Arabepola, Members of Parliament Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Chandima Weerakkodi, S.M Marikkar, K. Sujith Sanjaya, Ishaq Rahman, Vadivel Suresh, Velu Kumar, M. Udayakumar, and Thushara Indunil were present in this committee meeting.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Foreign Employment, the Labor Commissioner, officials of the Employee Provident Fund and representatives of plantation companies had also taken part in this meeting.