Korean Govt.to commence direct flights from SL to facilitate migrant workers: Manusha

• Migrant workers have to face serious issues due to flight delays as their employers in the destination country have refused to accept them after failing to arrive on time

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera  

The Korean government has agreed to commence direct flights to South Korea from Colombo within two months as Sri Lankan migrant workers have to face serious issues due to continuous delays of SriLankan flights, Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said yesterday.  

The Minister told Parliament, as a temporary move, steps have also been taken to send Sri Lankan migrant workers who leave for South Korea through Singapore after two weeks’ time.  
“We have planned to send our employees on board SriLankan flights to Singapore and take a Korean flight from there as a temporary move. This will commence after two weeks,” he said.  The Minister said this in response to a question raised by SLFP MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, who raised concerns about the grievances that migrant workers have to face due to flight delays.  
The Minister said migrant workers have to face serious issues due to flight delays as their employers in the destination country have refused to accept them after failing to arrive on time.  
He said SriLankan Airlines has turned a deaf ear to their repeated complaints regarding the delays and the issues that the workers have to face.