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Labour reforms for employees' benefit - Labour Minister

By Ananda Kannangara

No one should disrupt the Government's aim of seeking a speedy settlement to the 16,000 labour cases currently pending unresolved in Labour Tribunals, Employment and Labour Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said yesterday.

Minister Samarasinghe said that certain political forces seeking to achieve their petty obligations are now blocking the Government's endeavour of bringing the new Labour Reforms.

"We want to bring relief for employment problems of private sector workers who face sudden job termination and numerous other employment disputes at their work places," he said.

The Minister also blamed the political groups who oppose these Labour Reforms, saying they may have not even read the new reforms which are to be presented to Parliament today.

"Under the new Reforms no employer can remove employees without written approval from the Labour Commissioner General and the Commissioner has also the authority to bring the two parties, the employer and the employee together for questioning."

"If the services of employees are terminated due to any reason under the new Reforms the Commissioner has the authority to direct the employer to pay a reasonable amount of compensation to employees on a request made by the Commissioner," he said.

Samarasinghe said that 15 new Labour Tribunals will also be set up in every district including Colombo, Trincomalee, Galle, Kegalle, Matara, Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Kandy, Wattala and Hambantota. 

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