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Airline Pilots’ Guild responds to accusations

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The Airline Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lanka issued a statement clarifying the accusations made on the delay of SriLankan Airlines flights in the recent past.

It said the failure of the Airline management to solve the serious issues that have arisen, had led to this situation.

Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva recently accused SriLankan Airlines pilots of refusing to operate a flight after a first officer on duty had fallen ill.

Responding to these allegations, the Pilots Guild said the Airline requires at least 330 Pilots to function at full capacity for the designated flights.

“However, over 70 Pilots have resigned from the Airline in the last year (2022- 2023) with many more resignations pending due to the issues faced by the Pilots. The Pilots of the Airline have been left in the lurch as a result of a spate of decisions by the Management of the Airline compelling us to be overworked,” it said.

“The severity of the issue was witnessed in the recent incident where there were no Pilots on standby to be assigned to a flight which eventually departed more than 12 hours later than the scheduled time of departure.”

“SriLankan Airlines pays one of the lowest wages well below industry standards to Pilots. Prior to June 2023, the Pilots were paid their salaries at an arbitrary USD capped at a rate which was nearly 40% below the rate of the Central Bank.”

“The cadre of Pilots which should ideally be at 330 now only has approximately 250 as a result of the shortsighted, arbitrary and callous decisions of the Management.”

“The recent issues regarding flights stem from these actions and/or inactions of the Management itself which the Management have continuously refused to pay heed to. We have as a body at all times raised these concerns repeatedly including by way of litigation due to the attitude of the Management of the Airline.”

“We urge that these matters be brought to the notice and the attention of the general public and all stakeholders of the Airline in order to facilitate the issues raised being addressed and resolved,” it said.

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UN Rights chief türk to visit Sri Lanka this month

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The United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk will visit
Sri Lanka this month or early July, a Foreign Ministry source confirmed. No dates have been finalised for the visit, though the government has agreed to the visit by Mr. Turk.

It’ll be the first time in nine years that a UN Human Rights Commissioner will be visiting Sri Lanka, the last being Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in February 2016 during Maithripala Sirisena’s presidencyMr. Turk, an Austrian national who took up his duties in October 2022, will visit at a time the government grapples with how it will address human rights concerns raised by the international

community.

In his report to the UN body in August last year, just ahead of
Sri Lanka’s presidential and parliamentary elections, Mr. Turk said the newly elected government should recommit to addressing the root causes of conflict and undertake fundamental constitutional and institutional reforms to address the accountability gap and work towards reconciliation.

These include the immediate moratorium on the Prevention of Terrorism Act and assurances that any replacement legislation is consistent with international human rights law, repeals or amends existing laws or proposed laws that unduly restrict the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, association, and peaceful assembly, including the Online Safety Act and the ICCPR Act.

Mr. Turk’s predecessor Michelle Bachelet requested a visit to
Sri Lanka, but the matter was put under consideration, and the visit did not materialise.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) set up the Sri Lanka accountability project, an external evidence-gathering mechanism within the OHCHR, during Ms Bachelet’s period in office, a move strongly opposed by the government.

The OHCHR says that as of July 5, 2024, the repository established within the framework of the OHCHR project comprises 96,215 items and contains information from more than 470 different sources (more than 220 witnesses and 250 organisations), including international and multilateral organisations.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who addressed the high-level segment of the UNHRC in March this year, rejected the OHCHR Sri Lanka project and outlined government plans for a credible and sound domestic process to address accountability issues in the country.

“We will ensure that the domestic mechanisms and processes established to address challenges emanating from the conflict will continue their work in an independent and credible manner within the constitutional framework,” the minister told the UNHRC.

Despite a visit by the Human Rights Commissioner, the government will remain opposed to any international legal options to advance accountability in Sri Lanka and maintain that there are adequate domestic mechanisms to address accountability issues.

(sundaytimes.lk)

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Trade unionist Ranjan Jayalal takes helm as Kaduwela Mayor

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Prominent trade union leader Ranjan Jayalal has officially been appointed as the new Mayor of the Kaduwela Municipal Council.

Jayalal, a key member of the Ceylon Electricity Board Employees’ Union and a strong advocate for labor rights, was nominated by the National People’s Power (NPP) following their recent victory at the local government elections.

His appointment was formally confirmed through the government gazette issued by the Election Commission on May 31.

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Sri Lanka must take practical steps to join BRICS – Russian Ambassador

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If Sri Lanka is interested in joining the BRICS alliance, the country must take practical steps, says the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Levan S. Jagaryan.

Speaking during an event at the Bandaranaike International Centre for International Studies in Colombo, Ambassador Levan S. Jagaryan said Russia and China have been offering support to Sri Lanka, but he has not seen adequate interests from the Sri Lankan side.

Responding to a question raised by a journalist about Sri Lanka joining BRICS, the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka said, he has been questioned about the matter on several occasions.

Ambassador Levan S. Jagaryan said, “Last October, on the 1st, I met with President Anura Kumar Dissanayake and brought with me an invitation letter from the President of Russia, inviting Sri Lanka to participate in the BRICS summit. I spoke with a language interpreter, but I don’t know if the translation was accurate. The President told me that due to the upcoming general elections, he wouldn’t be able to visit Russia. If Sri Lanka is to join BRICS, it’s not just a matter of Russia; all the member countries need to agree, and there are several steps to take before that happens.”

Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jagaryan stated that he has not seen much interest at the moment and therefore requested Sri Lanka to take some practical steps, if it is serious about joining BRICS.

(adaderana.lk)
(This story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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