Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara has slammed the continuous delay in SriLankan Airlines flights which he claims have affected the process of dispatching Sri Lankan migrant workers to South Korea.
Issuing a statement, Minister Nanayakkara said that SriLankan Airlines flight UL 470 had been delayed by nearly 12 hours which had delayed the departure of a group of Sri Lankan migrant workers to South Korea recently.
Minister Nanayakkara stated that the continuous delay in flights has severely affected the process of dispatching Sri Lankan migrant workers to South Korea as scheduled.
The recently affected group that was to leave for South Korea was the 800th group of Sri Lankan migrant workers to be dispatched and all arrangements had been completed by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE).
However, due to the delay in the SriLankan Airlines flight, the group consisting of 52 Sri Lankan migrant workers heading for employment in the fishing sector were unable to travel as scheduled.
The SLBFE had been informed in this regard by the South Korean Human Resources Department based in Sri Lanka, the Minister stated.
Minister Nanayakkara further revealed that a similar delay caused by SriLankan Airlines on May 23 had resulted in the South Korean authorities refusing to accept the group of Sri Lankan migrant workers.
He stated that mediation by the SLBFE had enabled the group to travel to South Korea on June 04, but the rescheduled SriLankan Airlines flight transporting the group had also been delayed by two hours.
Stating that the continuous delay by SriLankan Airlines was a serious issue, the Minister stated that it was severely impacting the dispatching of Sri Lankan migrant workers to South Korea.
Minister Manusha Nanayakka added that necessary decisions will be required to be taken by focussing special attention on the matter. (NewsWire)