 Issue should not be politicised: Authorities By Agra Ranasinghe Inter Company Employees Union (ICEU) Head Wasantha Samarasinghe said that over 200,000 employees in the private sector have already lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Samarasinghe alleged that the Government does not pay attention to the employees of the private sector and that the Minister of Labour has not yet made any attempt to present this issue to the Cabinet. "By now, people have started working, but there's a huge impact on employees in the private sector. Women of the age of 50, manpower workers, and temporary workers have lost their jobs due to this situation. Although the Government is capable of supporting these workers and granting relief, they are not even concerned yet. From April till now, we have been speaking of this issue. If they can impose tax without a two-thirds majority, why do they need a two-thirds majority to grant relief? We ask the workers who have not yet received any kind of support, to complain to labour offices and to join us,” Samarasinghe urged. Commissioner General of Labour A. Wimalaweera told The Morning that this is not an issue which should be turned into a “political battle”. "The major fact people should understand is that we, as responsible people, have to protect both employers and businesses as well. If there is no business and if the workers are asked to stay at home, how can the employers pay their salaries? How can they give jobs? I still can’t give an exact solution for this. But the Minister of Labour stated that such workers should be given Rs. 14,500 or 50% of their salaries; whichever amount is higher. I have no idea what the Inter Company Employees Union or other unions are alleging, but what we should understand is that Covid-19 is beyond our control," Wimalaweera said. However, Samarasinghe noted that, as the researchers have stated, 1.1 million employees of private sector companies will lose their jobs due to the impact of the current situation.