Independent trade unions and multi-society organizations staged a leaflet distribution campaign on September 2 at 5 p.m. to raise concerns over a proposal to remove the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) from the control of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and place them under the management of a three-member committee.

The organizers said the proposed committee would include a representative of employers, raising concerns about the involvement of employers in the management of funds that they described as the largest financial assets of private-sector employees.

Representatives of the trade unions and civil society organizations said the EPF and ETF are the primary financial safeguards of private-sector workers and warned that transferring their administration to a committee that includes an employer representative could create risks to the funds.The protesters also referred to events in 2011, when they alleged that a previous government had attempted to use workers’ funds to support loss-making private-sector companies that were facing closure.

They recalled the death of Roshen Chanaka during protests against the move and said hundreds of workers were also permanently disabled in the unrest.The trade unions called for greater protection of the EPF and ETF and urged that decisions concerning the funds be taken with the interests and financial security of private-sector employees as the primary consideration.