Current and former employees of Mawbima.lk and Ceylon Today, media outlets owned by former Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, have staged a protest demanding the settlement of unpaid salaries, delayed allowances and outstanding Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) contributions.
The protest highlighted longstanding financial difficulties faced by media workers and concerns over the failure to settle their statutory employment benefits.
Speaking at the gathering, senior journalist Bingun Menaka Gamage said economic hardship and unresolved labour rights remained major obstacles to meaningful media reform in Sri Lanka.
He stressed that ensuring financial stability and protecting the employment rights of journalists should take priority over political discussions and attempts to regulate digital media.
Representatives of the Sri Lanka Professional Journalists’ Association, Young Journalists’ Association of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum and Tamil Media Forum also joined the gathering in support of the affected employees.
The participants raised concerns about the financial vulnerability of journalists, particularly those facing unpaid salaries and statutory contributions, alongside threats and intimidation.
Responding to the concerns, Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said the government was prepared to intervene within the existing legal framework to protect the employment rights of media workers.
He said the Ministry of Mass Media would cooperate with relevant authorities to address complaints involving media organisations, including state-owned institutions such as Lake House.
The Minister also assured that investigations into unpaid EPF and ETF contributions and other employment-related violations would proceed without special treatment for any political figure or institution.
He said appropriate legal and administrative measures would be taken to safeguard the rights and welfare of affected media employees. (Newswire)