Q: How has your organisation played a part in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 crisis?

As a part of the crucial food supply chain, CBL Group played a key role in the national COVID-19 response effort.

We knew it was essential that people had access to a continuous supply of food and many of our products are staples of the Sri Lankan household.

CBL had built up substantial stocks in anticipation of the high demand for its FMCG products for the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year; and because of this, and despite the curfew, our supply chains were well stocked and able to meet demand.

Our factories were able to resume production relatively quickly although this was challenging as we operated with only critical staff numbers and required special curfew passes. One of the reasons we were able to successfully resume and continue operations was our close collaboration with national health authorities.

As a food manufacturer, our standards and safety regulations were in place before the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, we were able to mobilise very quickly to ensure that all safety processes and physical distancing measures were in place, across our factories and workplaces.

Our Covid-19 response team was headed by the Group Chairman and board, and ensuring the safety of employees and maintaining quality were priorities.

We arranged special transport for employees to minimise public contact and our processes were redesigned. Moreover, our HR teams were very active during this period, ensuring that proper communication was maintained to minimise disruptions arising from rotational work and working from home (WFH).

Q: As far as the workforce is concerned, how did your group assist people during the extended curfew?

As a Sri Lankan corporate with over 6,000 employees, we knew we had a major role to play in responding to COVID-19. In the workplace, we took every measure to keep our employees safe; we organised essential goods and transport, and took many other measures so that our employees could minimise public contact.

CBL’s sales and agriculture teams were very active in supporting our networks of farmers, distributors and retailers to adhere to the necessary protocols.

Our companies are spread across several provinces and we actively engaged with surrounding communities in the context of safety practices. We also carried out intensive awareness campaigns to ensure that our staff followed the same protocols in the workplace in their homes and communities.

Q: Are any special benefits being offered to staff in the light of the crisis, and its impact on jobs and earnings – if so, could you cite a few examples?

We decided at the start of the pandemic that we’d take every measure to ensure the security and stability of our workforce. Throughout the group, there were no any layoffs or salary cuts.

In addition, we paid bonuses for the last year and although we deferred pay increments for a few months, CBL has been able to do this as well.