Govt. proposes amendments to Labour Ordinance to include domestic workers

• Move includes payment of EPF and ETF
• Labour Minister says necessary Cabinet paper will be submitted soon
• Labour rights protective agencies commend Govt. initiative for first time in over 100 years to recognise domestic workers who devote entire life to others
• Sri Lanka has over 85,000 domestic workers currently
• Labour Commissioner General opines establishment of Wage Board for domestic workers will protect them under existing labour laws and regulations

In a bid to ensure the welfare and security of domestic workers, the Government is proposing amendments to the Labour Ordinance with the relevant labour rights including Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) benefits.

Labour Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said laws in this regard would be enacted to grant labour rights to domestic workers in the near future.

He made these remarks during a discussion held at the Labour Ministry with representatives of several organisations working on the rights of domestic workers recently.

Although domestic service, through which workers devote their entire life to ease the lives of others, dates back to the time of imperialism, it is unfortunate that there is still no definite labour law to ensure the welfare and security of this working class community in Sri Lanka.

“The relevant amendments to the Bills to establish a Wage Board for domestic workers and to grant membership of the EPF and ETF to those domestic workers will be submitted to the Cabinet soon,” the Minister assured.

At present, there are over 85,000 domestic workers in the country.

He said the EPF and ETF Acts, the National Minimum Wage of Workers Act and the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Act would be amended accordingly.

The Minister assured the Bill would be amended in a manner that would not be unfair to employees or employers.

He also called for a ban of agencies and brokering individuals who engage in ‘marketing’ of housemaids via various platforms.

Representatives of these organisations pointed out that these domestic workers, who had a professional history of over 100 years, were yet to receive any of the labour rights or protections enjoyed by other workers in the country. At the very least they have not even been recognised as workers in the country.

However, they commended the Government’s initiative to bring such an important and long overdue amendment to the Bill on their behalf for the first time.

“The new legislation proposed by the Labour Ministry will provide recognition to domestic workers as part of the workforce in the country, whilst ensuring their protection and welfare for the first time in the history of Sri Lanka,” they pointed out.

Labour Department Commissioner General Prabhath Chandrakeerthi said that with the establishment of a Wage Board for domestic workers, they would be protected under existing labour laws and regulations in the country.

MP Dr. Suresh Raghavan, Labour Ministry Secretary Mapa Pathirana, Protect Union General Secretary Kalpa Maduranga, Domestic Workers Union President S. Sathyawani and other officials from the Ministry participated at the discussion.