Sajith: Govt. took unemployed graduates for a ride: All of them will be given jobs – Dinesh

By Saman Indrajith

Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday accused the government of having duped unemployed graduates by calling for applications and issuing letters of appointment in a hurry during the election campaign but not allowing them to report to work after the election.

Making a special statement, Premadasa said that the SLPP seemed to have taken the unemployed graduates for a ride. “The SLPP gave a promise during the presidential election that under its government all unemployed graduates would be given government jobs. Following that election victory, the government published an advertisement on Feb 07, 2020 calling for applications from the unemployed graduates promising to recruit them for various jobs existing in the public sector. Thereafter in the last week of Feb 2020, the government released letters calling those applicants for training and asked them to report back within three days.

“However, with the intervention of the Elections Commission, that recruitment process was suspended. After the general election, the Presidential Secretariat again issued a release on Aug 14, calling the applicants again to report to work. However on Aug 16, the Ministry of Public Service, Provincial Councils and Local Government issued an announcement publishing the names of 40,092 graduates who are not qualified for the training.

“Various reasons including non-recognition of certain degrees by the University Grants Commission, inclusion of their names in the EPF, failure to attach copies of certain documents etc., have been mentioned as reasons for disqualifying them. Unemployed graduates staged a demonstration on Aug 18,” Premadasa said.

He demanded to know from the government what action would be taken to rectify the situation.

Minister Dinesh Gunawardena responded and said all of them would be given employment as decided by the Cabinet of Ministers recently.