In Trincomalee, 83 employees of the Pulmoddai Mineral Sands Corporation have continued their loud and determined protest, demanding that the Sri Lankan government pay their long-overdue wages.
The workers, who have not received their salaries for more than 15 months, say the delay has pushed their families into severe financial hardship, disrupting their children’s education and forcing many into debt. Despite repeated appeals to ministry officials, no resolution has been reached.
Gathering outside the state-run enterprise, the protesters carried placards and chanted slogans demanding justice. One banner read: “Why are employees of LMSL, a company generating millions of dollars, still being denied their wages? Sri Lankan President, we bring this to your attention.”
The Lanka Mineral Sands Limited (LMSL), located in Pulmoddai, is a major state-owned enterprise responsible for extracting valuable mineral resources such as ilmenite, rutile, and zircon from the eastern coast. Despite its profitability, employees have repeatedly complained of mismanagement, lack of transparency, and poor working conditions.
Workers say that while the company continues to generate significant foreign revenue through mineral exports, they have been left unpaid and ignored by both management and the government.
Their protest marks yet another sign of deepening frustration among Sri Lanka’s public sector workforce amid the island’s ongoing economic crisis, as inflation, salary arrears, and corruption continue to fuel unrest.
The workers vowed to continue their protest until their salaries are paid in full and the government provides a permanent solution to the long-standing issue.
