A total of 20,726 private sector organisations owe Rs. 34.3 billion in Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) contributions, Parliament was told on Thursday.
The figure was given in a tabled answer to an oral question from opposition MP Rohini Kaviratne.
The defaulters include schools, hospitals, political parties and trade unions, according to the answer. It also lists restaurants, a hotel, a liquor manufacturing company and a number of private and international schools.
For workers, unpaid contributions mean less money building up in their retirement savings.
The tabled documents said every defaulting employer receives two warnings, and court cases are filed if they do not comply. The Labour Department’s 40 labour offices and 11 sub offices are now taking action against defaulters.
