Labour Law Reform Proposals 2015; A Trojan Horse Of The Employers: CFL
November 10, 2015
The proposals for reform of labor laws of the country is a Trojan horse of the Employers, says the Ceylon Federation of Labour.
Issuing a statement the CFL today said; “the National Workers Charter reaffirmed Sri Lankan’s commitment to the ideals and principles enshrined in the Declaration of Philadelphia and to the Conventions and Recommendations of the ILO. The CFL is of the firm opinion that any reform of labour law should be contemplated within this framework and no other. The CFL shall oppose with whatever mean available to it any and all attempts to dismantle the existing labour law regime that gives some measure of protection to our workers who have to work to live on a periodic wage.”
We publish below the statement in full;
The Ceylon Federation of Labour (CFL) is aware of proposals for reform of labor laws of the country prepared by a team of former Supreme Court Judges with willing collaborators from the trade unions and other so-called technical experts who have all had the support of the ILO in this exercise.
The CFL categorically state that the entire process that entailed the procedure that was followed in formulating the proposals is much flawed in that the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC), a tripartite body responsible to attend to such tasks has had no intimation of this aspect of the project of the ILO. It is our firm belief that an international body such as the ILO built on the principles of tripartism would not venture into such an exercise without the expressed request from either the government, the employer or trade union. From the invitation letter sent by the Ministry of Labour convening the workshop held on 2nd November it is clear that the matter of labour reforms has been hatched as far back as 2010 gathering momentum in March 2015. How come this subject never been mentioned in the deliberations of the NLAC all these years? Read More
