Lawyers for Democracy says talks on labour laws reform must be non-regressive

The Lawyers for Democracy (LfD) in a statement emphasised that any national discourse pertaining to labour laws must be non-regressive and also progressively enhance the social rights achieved.

It stressed that the labour law regime and jurisprudence in Sri Lanka have been hard fought achievements to secure the dignity and value of workers in the Sri Lankan economy and social development of the country. Labour laws reflect the standard of social and economic rights secured on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka. LfD said that any intervention on this topic of national importance must reflect the views of all stakeholders particularly those directly affected, the workers.

“The bedrock of labour law gives due recognition to the asymmetry of power in the relationship between employee and employer and the role of the state in ensuring that the worker is protected from exploitation. ” 

Dignified productive labour ought to be a hallmark of the country’s economic policy,” it said.

“Given the economic crisis in Sri Lanka and the national pressures on all industries and the agricultural sector, labour reform discussions are susceptible to undermining basic safeguards for which workers and unions have struggled,” said LfD whose convenors are Attorneys at Law Lal Wijenayake, K.S. Ratnavel, Jayampathy Wickramaratne and Ermiza Tegal.

The statement said Co-convenor Lal Wijenayake raised concerns with Bar Association of Sri Lanka President Kaushalya Navaratne on the representations that appeared to have been made on behalf of the Bar at consultations convened on labour law reforms by the Labour Ministry on 10 May.

“The group raised questions about the nomination of Kanishka Weerasinghe who appeared to have represented the BASL at the consultations and the process adopted to formulate the recommendations presented made by him,” LfD said.