COLOMBO – Following a violation of Sri Lankan labour laws, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has remitted nearly Rs. 7 million in Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) contributions and surcharges to journalist Azzam Ameen.
The Colombo Labour Office confirmed the payment of Rs. 6,913,233, which was made pursuant to an official order after the broadcaster failed to make the required EPF contributions during Ameen’s tenure.
This follows a separate Labour Tribunal ruling that found Ameen had been wrongfully terminated, leading to a compensation payout of approximately Rs. 4.5 million.
In that decision, issued on April 26, 2024, the Tribunal described the BBC’s premature termination of his contract as “unreasonable and unjustifiable,” while further characterizing the actions of BBC representative Iain Haddow as “arbitrary and high-handed.- news first
