A tense situation was reported at a privately-owned garments factory in Udukawa, Weligama last night (April 8), after employees staged a demonstration against the managements choice to keep the Sinhala and Tamil New Year bonus.The unrest began as the supervisor of the factory was held hostage in his office by disgruntled workers, following his announcement that the company could not pay for to pay the yearly bonus offer due to the steep tariffs recently enforced by the United States on Sri Lankan exports.According to sources, the corporates governing authority had notified workers last morning that the benefit payments will not be disbursed this year.
This set off a heated spoken run-in in between the factory management and workers.Soon after, a group of workers blocked the entryway to the center, locking evictions and bringing all operations to a grinding halt.
They have pledged not to leave the premises till their needs are met.The factory management informed the Weligama Police regarding the occurrence, triggering the deployment of unique cops security to the site.As of this early morning (April 9), the demonstration is continuous, with staff members continuing to obstruct access to the factory, Ada Derana press reporter said.