A group of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MPs held a protest in Colombo on Thursday urging the government to repatriate Sri Lankan migrant workers and other citizens stranded overseas without further delay.

A work-to-rule campaign by the Pilots Guild of SriLankan Airlines has caused disruptions to the airline’s operations.

The pilots are protesting against lack of a dedicated treatment facility for members who test positive for COVID-19 as a number of Sri Lankan staff members, including a pilot, have tested COVID-19 positive.

The airline has said, in a media statement, it has requested such a facility from the relevant authorities and is hopeful that its request would be granted.

The airline has said that it plays a pivotal role in flying stranded Sri Lankans home and facilitating international trade.

: “The airline has been adopting ad-hoc flight schedules due to the pandemic in addition to responding swiftly to the needs of the Government in relation to repatriation of Sri Lankans and the transportation of cargo as and when required. This necessitates all employees of the Airline to report to work on short notice in accordance with the guidelines stipulated by Authorities for the prevention of COVID-19. The precautionary measures taken, and the required personal protective equipment always provided by the Airline have protected the employees when they were on duty.”

The airline and its employees relied on the support of the government, and that the government had given them necessary funds to keep afloat in spite of the budgetary and fiscal challenges faced by the country. Therefore, it was the utmost duty of the employees to support the government in their efforts to rebuild the country, the SriLankan management said.