Economy Next: Colombo: Friday, December 15, 2017.
The
management of Sri Lanka's debt-laden national carrier has turned down a request
from employees seeking information about the perquisites enjoyed by the board
of directors and top officials.
Six trade
unions in a joint letter to their chairman Ajith Dias expressed dismay over Sri
Lankan refusing the request made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act
seeking details of benefits enjoyed by top honchos .
The unions
said the RTI request was turned down saying the information was
"confidential."
"We the
employees, request your clarification on how this information can be labelled
as confidential, when it has contributed to the further accumulated debt that
you now state, may result in a potential loss of employment of nearly 7,000
individuals," the letter said.
Unions say
the airline is a paradise for parasite directors drawing concessionary 10
percent tickets on top of dozens of free tickets to travel long haul routes and
enjoy business-class lounges at airports abroad.
In June, the
cabinet of ministers grilled the Sri Lankan board and a senior minister said
they too had the same question about payments to directors but were yet to get
a response. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the time had defused tension
by offering to sack the entire board, a promise he is yet to keep.
The unions
have also said that both Chairman Dias and Chief Executive Officer Suren
Ratwatte were total misfits and should have no role in a restructured national
carrier.
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