A Tripartite Task Force chaired by Hon. Minister of Labour was established as a subcommittee of the apex social dialogue mechanism, the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC), on March 10th with the onset of Covid – 19. The purpose of the Task Force is to take proactive actions to minimize the impact of Covid – 19 on workers and businesses. This committee met regularly even during curfew and was able to create a better understanding among stakeholders
There have been sixteen meetings conducted up to September. This forum greatly helped to build trust among stakeholders and take necessary actions before it escalates into dispute. The following consensuses were arrived at during the Task Force meetings regarding the payment of salaries to the employees who could not be given work due to the spread of Covid – 19
- Retaining of employees in institutions where work was suspended due to Covid – 19 pandemic situation
- Implementation of a Roster System or any other suitable mechanism to ensure that all employees are given monthly work proportionally, in situations where all employees cannot be called for work as per the health safety guidelines and the social distancing requirements
- Paying 50% of basic salary included in the last paid full salary or Rupees 14,500/= whichever is more favourable to the employee in situations where employees are required to stay at home as there is not sufficient work to be assigned during the months of May, June, July, August and September 2020. Making contributions to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Employee Trust Fund (ETF) is required in this regard