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Mar. 28  2024
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[Letters] The Sports Industry and Korean Companies in Sri Lanka

This is a very brief summaary about the sports industry and korean companies in Sri Lanka, Though we have mentioned examples of the activities of few companies , it is all the same in general about workers who work for poor wages under poor working conditions in the sports industry and korean companies in Sri Lanka.

Source  :  The Free Trade Zone Workers Union

Dear Comrades

I am suppossed to speak about sports industry and korean companies in Sri Lanka. To do this preciously , I think that I must talk about the general working class and its history, at least briefly because I have five minutes.

Srilanka has been mainly an agriculaural county till the eurpoean imperialists invaded it.After te British started coffee/Tea indistry ,they started supportive Industries to help those Coffee/Tea industry and built railway lines for the transportation of the products.The emerging working class under the imperialists worked under very poor conditions and under repression for a period of time, and as the reaction to these conditions strikes by their own leadership. Later the workers thought that they must have an educatd leadership to deal better with the imperialist rulers and some independent persons became the working class leaders. After the emergence of the left movement the leftist leaders gradally got the leadership of the working class of Sri Lanka. Under both these leaderships the workers strugled fearlessly to gain the rights what we are enjoying as workers today. But what is in front of today is not gain more rights but to safeguard the prevailing rights which are now been threatned.

In 1977 introducing the FreeMarketing Ecomomy or 'Open Economy' which is the popular word in srilanka was introduced to Sri Lanka as "the only" economic paradigm, despite numerous oter economic existing. Sri Lanka was the first South Asian country to change from import substitution, which included protective tariffs, and import controls to and export orientated ecomomy. In 1977 under then President jayawaardena, regulations protecting local industry gave way to regulations for the protection of ffforeign investors, The first Free Trade Zone (FTZ) was established at Katunayake (near to the airport and capital colombo) in 1978. They promoed to give the foreign investors to give cheap, subservient labour additional to the other facilities. So most of the investors act as the labour laws in the rest of the country are not relevent to them as they in the FTZ. The minimum wages are between US$ 0.9 to US$1.49 and this is below the world bank standards of US$1.00 extreme poverty margin.

The korean companies operates in the FTZ of sri lanka are no exceptional. The ill treatment they imposed on the workers can be witnessed by a worker itself tomorrow.

There are few companies who produced sportswear. Sky Sport lanka (pvt) Limited is such a compan. The management is so inhumane that they are not even permitted to go to the toilets as it is necessary. A token system is imposed and if one worker has taken the token and gone to the toilet , if another one have to wait till token comes back when he having an urgent requirement even. There are copies of a letter sent by the management to female worker indicating that only 30, minutes is allowed to go to the toilet per week. In the same letter she have been advise warned for going out to fill her water bottle which is only solution for her to quench her thirst while working.

Another company cosmos macky is a Korean/Sri Lanka joint venture company, producing sports and SKI wear for export, under the COAMACK trade mark is one of the biggest factories within the Katybataje FTZ. On December of 2000 worker struct for equity in theeeir end of year bonus Negottiations facilitated by the Commissioner of Labour reached an agreement and workers returned to work. However, management did not honor this agreement. Workers wore white to work in protest. Management paid the bonus and then closed the factory. When the factory reopened 6 days later, 18 workers including leaders of the previous strike were transferred to colombo. Workers went on strike demanding the cancellation of the transfers. management finally agreed to this demand.
It was at this point the factory branch was established.

On the 5th of januaary 2001, the union officially informed of the formation of the branch. Management refused to accept the registered letter .After that two persons were employed by the company to brreak the union. After so many incidents on 1/3/2001 one of the two peersons has threatened the branch union secretay and president who signed the letter and said that their letter is illegal and they can be handed over to the police. On 6/3/2001 union wrote letter to the management on this and requested to stop such indicents. On 12/3/2001 company repled to the union and said that it is a purely internal matter aand that formation of the union in FTZ is prohibited . Then the union wrote to the Board Of Investment of Sru Lank regarding this and BOI repled mentioning that it is not the view of the BOI and as the non-recognition of the trade union by the enterprises has been referred to the commisioner of labour by us he will take necessary action. Then the union again sent a lettter to the company regarding the BOIs view. So far we haven'nt received any letter from the company and they are going on hunting the members of the union. when the management transferred two key leaders, workers protested and 62 workers, including branch officials werre dismissed in an attempt to weaken the union. This attempt to weaken the union has been successsful , workers are still members of the union however they not taking up issued with the management due to fear.

Another korean owned textile factory 'Topstar' in Biyagama FTZ , has refued to recognised the branch union which included 60% of the workers. After complaining to the Commissioner, the commissioner called three discussions, which management refused to attend. The Free Trade Zone Workers Union has asked the commisioner to prosecute them under the Industrial Disputes Act for failing to recognise the union.

This is a very brief summaary about the sports industry and korean companies in Sri Lanka, Though we have mentioned examples of the activities of few companies , it is all the same in general about workers who work for poor wages under poor working conditions in the sports industry and korean companies in Sri Lanka.

H.A.Perera
for FTZWU - Sri Lanka


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Dear comrades,

u an Chandana Asoka from Free Trade Zone Workers Union of Sri Lanka. I comes from a working class family with 6 members. My father is also a wworkers who still works as mechanic. My home town is Kandana , which is close to the Ftz Katunayake.
My first employment was in Sam Yang Lanka (pvt) Limited which a korean owned company.
I joined the company 04/04/1994 as a trainee worker to the packing section, for an initial salary of 1650 srilankan rupees per month.which is less one us$ per day. After two and half of service I got a transer to packing section as the leader of the section. I worked there about 4 years.

on August 2000 the government announced a salary increase by 400 rupees for both government and private sectors. But the company incresed 400 rupees only for the supervisors and we got only 200 rupees.

So on 9th and 11th I with another 300 workers went on strike. When the workers reported for work on 12th september 2000, Management did not allow the workers to report for work, until they signed a letter containing new conditions. The union wrote to the Management a Registered letter dated 12,th september 2000, regarding this issue and requested a discussion with the view of reaching early settlement.The Company did not reply to this letter. After so many letters from the union to the company and the Assistant Commissioner, and after intervention of offcials of labour department, the company at last came to a discussion. After the discussion compay transferred the branch secretary and the assistant secretary. On, 19th December 2000, I the treasurer of the branch union, who attended the above mentioned meeting was given a show cause letter. I replied this letter on 23rd December and on the same day I received a letter , terminating my service. And after that several others officials and members have been victimised. I have filed a case in labour court the case is still going on. Another case is going on in the courts against the dismissal of 23 members of our branch union of the FTZWU. I am still unemployed and but still work with my union FTZWU, safeguard the freedom of association of workers in srilanka as wel as the workers on this earth.

Long live FTZWU
Long live working class organisations throughout the world.

Chandana Asoka -FTZWU

2002 / -0 / 5-
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