Tragedy of Sri Lankan civil servants: "No change in wages despite rising prices"
Rising commodity prices are frightening the people of Sri Lanka. Are struggling to cope with daily expenses. Their days are dawning with the fear of ‘what commodity price is going to increase today’.
Fuel prices were increased on the 19th. Accordingly, the price of a liter of petrol sold for 254 rupees is 338 rupees. The price of a liter of diesel has been increased from 176 rupees to 289 rupees. The price of 12.5 kg of cooking gas sold for 2800 rupees was announced on the 26th as 4860 rupees.
Already, #a #large #number of products, including rice, wheat, meat, palm oil, sugar and medicines, are being bought at increased prices.
A kilo of rice, which was available for 90 rupees, is now being sold for 200 rupees. The price of a kilo of wheat has gone up from 110 rupees to 230 rupees. The current price of sugar, which was Rs. 100 per kg, is Rs. 230. The price of palm oil has increased from 350 rupees to 950 rupees. The lentils were available at a retail price of 230 rupees per kg. Now its price is 500 rupees.
In order to make up for this crisis, workers who work on a daily wage basis have raised their wages. #Ordinary #wage #workers, who previously earned 2,000 rupees a day, have now raised their wages to 2,500 rupees. Barbers have also increased their fees in line with the cost of living.
But the fact that the salaries of civil servants have not been increased in line with current prices - is a complaint from those in the sector.
"Both's income is not enough"
KM from #Akkaraipattu, #Ampara District. Kabir - A civil servant. He has been working as a Development Officer in the #Adalaichenai Divisional Secretariat.
He has been working in the public service since 2012 and his current salary is 50,000 rupees. Of this, 2000 rupees is deducted for the pension fund #and he gets an excess of 48000 rupees.
Kabir's wife also works as a development officer. Since his tenure is slightly shorter than that of Kabir, he gets a salary of 46000 rupees.
Kabir says that even though they both get a salary of 94 thousand rupees a month, that amount is not enough to cover the expenses of their family of five (husband, wife, three children).
Kabir also serves as the trade union leader of the #Ampara District Development Officers. There are about 2500 members in this union.
"There are about 16lakh 50 thousand civil servants in Sri Lanka. The salaries of most of them are not enough to cover the cost of living," says Kabir; "Instead of increasing the salaries of government employees, it is enough to provide goods and services at prices that existed before 2019, he said.
"The unions have long been campaigning for an increase in the salaries of government employees. Accordingly, on January 4, 2022, the current government announced that 5,000 rupees a month would be paid in addition to the salaries of civil servants. Kabir alleges that the government has snatched the rupee by increasing the prices of goods and services.
Short-sighted activities
"It is the short-sighted actions of these rulers that have plunged the country into such a massive economic crisis. Previously, all those earning more than five lakh rupees a year - had to pay income tax to the state. "The government lost most of its revenue."
"Similarly, public and private sector employees earning a net salary of more than one lakh rupees used to pay the #PAYEETAX #tax to the government before 2019, but when the current government came to power, the tax was abolished.
#Kabir pointed out that government employees who work in offices adjacent to their residences are facing worse economic crises than those who stay in the outlying districts and go to work while keeping their salaries and not being able to cover family expenses at current prices.
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