Appointments Given Regardless of Political Parties – Deputy Minister of Mass Media Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne
Job security must be maintained to enhance employee productivity and the quality of an institution, stated Deputy Minister of Mass Media, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne.
The Deputy Minister made these remarks while attending the ceremony to award permanent appointment letters to 66 employees who had been working on a contract basis at Lake House. The appointment award ceremony was held yesterday (17th) at the Ministry of Mass Media. These appointments were granted to employees who had remained on a contract basis for 3 to 19 years without being made permanent.
Addressing the gathering further, the Deputy Minister stated:
"What is happening today is a reconfirmation that we are a working-class government that has always spoken up for workers' rights. Generally, when a government comes into power, they ignore trade union demands, cut down workers' rights, and do as they please. It was our National People’s Power (NPP) government that fulfilled the long-standing demand for a salary hike through the budget, based on a policy decision and without requiring a struggle. We are a proactive government that acted ahead of the workers regarding their rights, raising the minimum private sector wage from Rs. 19,000 to Rs. 30,000. If there was a need, there was nothing stopping us from keeping those who worked on a contract basis at Lake House under the same status for much longer. However, to improve the quality of their service, job security must be maintained.
It was our government that established job security for those who were on a contract basis. We consider employees as an essential part of this institution. The Chairman and the Board of Directors constantly approached us and requested that you be made permanent. You must be grateful to the management for the dedication and enthusiasm they showed to secure your permanence.
People question what we, as a ministry, are doing for media rights. Over the past year, several well-known and highly regarded newspapers closed down. They had failed to pay their employees' salaries or Employee Provident Fund (EPF) contributions. Among them were newspapers that decided to close down overnight. The Director General of News personally spoke with the Commissioner General of Labour regarding this. That was how the media industry was treated back then.
For a long time, there has been a demand among newspapers and journalists to make media a recognized profession. Professionalism in journalism did not properly exist in our country. Our policy manifesto explicitly stated that journalism should be made a dignified profession. It is in accordance with this that the proposal to establish the Institute of Chartered Media Professionals of Sri Lanka is being introduced. This is an institution run by professionals, for professionals, recognizing and advocating for the professional rights of journalists. Although some are trying to spread a social narrative that the government is attempting to intervene and regulate the media, that is not the truth. What this actually does is protect journalists' rights, allowing them to stand as recognized, qualified professionals after receiving proper training.
At present, the National Media Policy has been finalized. It is currently in the translation and editing phase. It will be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers promptly. There are media organizations in Sri Lanka that oppose this as well. However, a country needs a media policy for the welfare of journalists and a vision for media freedom. The media community has been demanding a National Media Policy for more than two decades for this very reason. By developing the field of journalism as both a policy and an industry, your employment rights can be secured.
Currently, the Ministry provides financial support for your higher education. You can obtain funds to learn a language or to pursue a higher education course at a university or another institution. This year, the President has allocated Rs. 101 million for the capacity building of journalists. A capacity development program is being designed for this, which you will see in the future.
No political interference was made when granting these permanent appointments. Whether someone worked for us politically or not was never considered. However, understand your responsibility. To protect your rights, you must correctly decide who you should align with. We were elected to power by trade unions and the working public to serve them. There were times in history when political appointments were given and people felt that because a state job is permanent, it didn’t matter whether they worked or not. Ending all of that, we have created an environment for people to work in the state service with a backbone. Therefore, fulfill your responsibility. A program to revive Lake House is currently underway. The institution, which suffered losses for many years, is now making a profit. We are pleased about that. Furthermore, Lake House is earning respect as an independent reporting institution among embassies and internationally.
Mr. Sisira Yapa – Director Editorial:
Some employees at Lake House had been working as temporary staff on a contract basis for 15, 16, or even 19 years. No one had paid attention to making them permanent. However, the proposal of the current Media Minister, the Deputy Minister, and the Government was that employees who deserve to be permanent must be made permanent immediately. A concern arose as to whether the institution could sustain this. We faced the challenge of whether we could spend a larger sum of money to make a group of employees permanent and absorb that cost within our annual profits. The Board of Directors maintained that making them permanent was only fair. It was also decided that their current salary should not be reduced upon being made permanent. When looking at the salary scale of the institution, some employees' salaries will increase by about Rs. 25,000 when made permanent, while for others, the scale would technically reduce it by about Rs. 5,000. However, the management resolved that challenge as well.
During the interviews, we met people who had worked for over 15 years but were drawing a salary of just Rs. 15,000. When asked how they survived on that, one person working as a journalist showed his hands and mentioned that after finishing work here, he went to mix cement for daily wages. Yet, we boastfully speak about press freedom, media literacy, and other media-related topics.
Many individuals here joined the institution in the prime of their youth. Because there was no job security and some had no confidence that they would ever be made permanent, they have still not gotten married. In the history of Lake House, contract workers were never given bonuses. In December 2024, we decided to pay an equal allowance to everyone. Some trade unions asked, 'Sir, the decision you took is good, but it is dangerous. Who will give this once you are gone?' I told them not to worry, we are not leaving. Today, two years later, we haven't left, and we aren't leaving. You have been made permanent. We gave you everything that permanent employees received even during your contract period.
None of those receiving permanent appointments today are people who joined the workforce after the National People’s Power came to power. The Ministry did not give opportunities to recruit people like that. It makes one wonder why jobs were given like this in the past—keeping employees for years by paying Rs. 15,000 without any hope or privileges.
We decided to make employees permanent at a critical time when newspaper offices around the world are collapsing; at a time when the price of paper, fuel, and everything else is rising. The policy of our government is that if someone is a worker or a laborer, they must be happy. To build a rich country, lives must become beautiful. If there is no smile on the faces of Lake House employees and their lives are not beautiful, there is no point in the institution making a profit.
There are a few people here who might still criticize us and the government even after being made permanent. That is the democracy we won. Previously, it was not easy to work at Lake House while saying anything against the ruling government. Thank you to those who criticize us. By criticizing and finding fault, you are confirming the democracy we have won. It is the best evidence that we have gained something that wasn't there before.
Now you are permanent employees of this institution. It is from this salary that you will take care of your children, parents, wife, or husband at home. Therefore, this salary is not small. Even if the figure is small, it is a dignified and sacred salary. If you try to take Lake House an inch forward from here, the institution will leap miles ahead. Your conscience knows the harm done to Lake House, intentionally or unintentionally, in the past. Now, let us unite and love Lake House. Let us build an institution that is financially and politically strong. By now, we have entered the ranks of profit-making state institutions.
If we make a profit, we can hire more employees. Therefore, let us open the doors of Lake House to a few more people. If we perform our duties properly, we can bring a new generation into the institution. There are people at Lake House who draw a salary without rendering a service to the institution. However, all 66 individuals who received appointments today have a duty and a responsibility. There is another group waiting to be made permanent. Only if you fulfill your responsibility correctly can the Ministry secure the opportunity to make them permanent as well. The responsibility of many lives is in your hands. Hold whatever political view or ideology you prefer. Criticize us. But do not harm the institution even in your dreams, not even by a pinprick. Lake House is a place with a prestigious name spanning a century.
Mr. Lakmal Ratnayake – Senior Manager (Human Resources):
This is a process that began in March last year. A series of interviews were held. Criteria were used for those interviews, which were conducted in a formal, transparent, and fair manner. Those who fulfilled the relevant competencies for those criteria are receiving their appointments today. At times, we too felt deeply saddened wondering how people survived on this salary. In the interview criteria, there was no inquiry regarding your trade union or political party; questions were only asked regarding your duties. This is a significant milestone for your lives as well as the institution. This also marks the occasion where the highest number of employees is being absorbed at once in the history of Lake House. Although some individuals here had been on a contract basis for many years, their salaries had not increased. As a policy, it was decided to call those who had been on a contract basis for more than three years for interviews. The Chairman, General Manager, Board of Directors, editors, and many others supported making this process a success up to this point.
Mrs. Chamika Munasinghe (On behalf of the permanent appointees – Dinamina Editorial):
Today is an important milestone in our professional lives. This moment of receiving permanent appointments is a happy occasion for all of us. Never in the history of Lake House has such a large number of employees been made permanent at once. Therefore, this is a victory we achieved, as well as a victory achieved by Lake House. I must first thank the Chairman for his intervention in bringing us along this victorious path. No one knows better than those of us who received permanent appointments today how closely the Chairman looked into the contract workers from the moment he arrived at Lake House. Thank you to the Chairman and the Board of Directors for the effort taken to grant contract workers certain privileges that were previously enjoyed only by permanent employees. We are standing here today because the Board of Directors always acted with a positive mindset regarding contract basis employees. Therefore, thank you to the Board of Directors as well.
From the moment the decision was made to make employees permanent up to now, the Inter-Company Employees' Union stood by us through all obstacles and was a great strength to us. Party politics did not matter for that service. We were given appointments introducing a new culture to Lake House, without considering even a shadow of any political party. Special thanks to the brothers and sisters of the union for carrying out this task. If we work, the institution will be protected, and if the institution is protected, our jobs will be protected. Let us also work. Let us work well to protect the institution.
The event was attended by Lake House Chairman and Managing Director Gamini Varushamana, Press Council Chairman Priyan R. Wijebandara, General Manager Sumith Kotalawala, Financial Director Channa Kevitiyagala, Operations Director Chamara Peiris, Legal Director Chamara Nanayakkara-wasam, along with newspaper editors and staff of the Lake House institution.
