Free Trade Zones exploit our labour and pay for weaker sex – LGBTQIA+ community

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

The LGBTQIA+ community working in the Free Trade Zones (FTZ) complained yesterday that the garment factories that employ them through random manpower agencies would exploit their labour as men and pay wages designated for the weaker sex.   

Representatives of the transgender community claimed that they had to undergo appalling discrimination and hardships when performing their duties at the factories in suburban FTZs and its high time the authorities look into the matter.   

Addressing a press briefing held in Colombo yesterday the representatives of the Standup Movement Lanka said the certain experiences their members have to undergo when carrying out their jobs are unspeakable.   

Sihina Thenuwara representing the LGBTQIA+ community said from the very beginning of a job interview they are being subject to discrimination where employers judge them by their attire and appearance.   

“We take constant treatment to speed up our transformation period so that we could apply for a new National Identity Card with our new sex, and face less hassle. For that there are three main surgeries involved demanding a lot of money and which we need to find through employment.   

The worst is when we are hired by unregulated manpower agencies and deployed at garment factories to perform various hard labour duties that are meant for the males. They assign us for heavy tasks like loading and unloading, which is usually meant for males but pay a wage designated for a female helper at the end of the day. There is a notable discrepancy between the two salary rates,” Thenuwara said.   

Executive Director Standup Movement Lanka Ashila Dhandeniya said the authorities should seriously consider regulating and registering these manpower agencies and they hope justice is meted out to them through the new social class friendly government.   

“Sometimes the employers strip our members to determine their sexual orientation before enrolling them for work, which is a severe human rights violation,” Dhandeniya said.   
Other members of the movement Piyuma Prabodhini, Vishnu Jegatheswaran and Puja Nilani also spoke at the media briefing.