Rs. 2500 Salary Increase Is Another Canard Of The Govt.

The promise made by Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse before the presidential election that salaries of all state and private sector employees would be increased by Rs.2500 has already become a hollow utterance as government ministers have stated that salaries of state employees cannot be increased until the general election is over and the next budget is approved.

Also Employers Associations had opposed the promise of increasing Rs. 2500 for 4.3 million private sector employees. Now the government states the private sector employees would be given an increase of 15% to their basic salary. As such, 2 million employees who don't come under wage councils would not get any increment to their salaries. Also, the other 2.3 million would get only an increase of less than Rs. 1000 even if the approval of wage councils is obtained.  
According to government's own calculations the cost for basic needs of a family is Rs. 38,000 per month. More than 5.5 million employees of the state as well as the private sector earn far less than this amount and would be drastically burdened with the cost of living.