Several plantation companies have defaulted on Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) payments and have large amounts of arrears to the EPF, it was revealed at the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Foreign Employment and Labor.

It was also revealed before the committee that due to contradictions in the information given about 700 million rupees paid by the companies in the estate sector, it has not been possible to account.

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 committee chairman 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.The committee also advised the officials that the issue of having multiple accounts for the same person can be avoided by starting the accounts according to the National Identity Card number.

State Minister Seetha Arambepola, MPs Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Chandima Weerakkody, S.M. Marikkar, K. Sujith Sanjaya, Ishaq Rahman, Vadivel Suresh, Velu Kumar, M. Udayakumar and Thushara Indunil were present in the 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 were also present.