Sevenagala Sugar Company Urges Workers to Return to Work, Citing Disruptions

The Sevenagala Sugar Company is appealing to its employees to cease disruptive actions and return to their duties, emphasizing that ongoing issues can be resolved through legal and collaborative means. The company has faced repeated interruptions to its production activities due to employee unrest in recent times.

Production at the factory was significantly hampered starting August 25th. Despite employees reporting for work, operations did not resume effectively, leading to a standstill. The situation worsened as production could not commence even on August 26th and 27th, which were public holidays. By the morning of August 28th, with no production underway, management was compelled to close the factory until further notice to prevent incurring further losses from paying wages and overtime without output.

The company also reported that even during the factory's closure, essential operations faced obstructions. Furthermore, disruptions to lorries arriving for sugar sales have impacted the company's revenue streams. In response to long-standing issues concerning staffing and salary structures, the current management is undertaking a formal staff assessment and developing a new salary framework. This process is being discussed with the Salaries Commission to ensure no employee's salary is reduced.

The Chairman highlighted that the current labor action has also been communicated to the relevant parties by the Department of Labor, outlining the legal status of the situation. Given that the Sevenagala Sugar Factory is intrinsically linked to the livelihoods of sugarcane farmers in the Monaragala district and provides employment for a large workforce, the Chairman stressed that ensuring the factory's continuous operation is a shared responsibility. Therefore, a strong appeal is made to all employees to return to work and support the legal resolution of existing problems.