Foreign Employment Minister Thalatha Athukorala yesterday, said the proposed pension scheme for Sri Lankan migrant workers will be implemented shortly.
“Accordingly, the migrant workers who are registered with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) would qualify for the special pension scheme,” the Minister said.
The Minister speaking at a function in Colombo said the government and the recipient migrant workers will contribute to the plan.
“The recipients will be eligible to receive a pension after the age of 55. In case of death, the family members shall receive the benefit,” she added.
The Minister also recalled that a pension for migrant workers had been proposed in the election manifesto of President Maithripala Sirisena.
According to SLBFE sources,there are nearly 1.8 Sri Lankans currently working abroad,” the Minister said.
“The annual outflow of workers is around 200,000.
The remittances made by these workers amounted to over US $6 billion last year, the highest contribution to Sri Lanka’s foreign revenue from a single sector,” the Minister said.