Cabinet approves minimum wage of Rs. 10,000 for private sector workers

The Cabinet of Ministers has given approval to the Government to introduce a law of national minimum wages for private sector employees. Accordingly, the Cabinet has approved a minimum wage of Rs. 10,000 for private sector workers.

The prevailing minimum wage of a private sector employee was decided with consideration given to the poverty line of Rs. 4,000 per capita income, but the present scale has decided the minimum wage as 10,000 rupees for an employee by considering the present cost of living.

The Government decided a national minimum wages policy through a separate law for private sector employees according to a request from the Members of the National Labour Advisory Council and several employee unions.

The proposal to draft legislation to introduce a minimum salary of Rs. 10,000 made by Minister of Labour and Trade Union Relations W.D.J. Seneviratne received the approval of the Cabinet.