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| Tuesday, 15 June 2004 |
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FCCISL launches forum for industrial dialogue with German help The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL), will set up an Industrial Relations Forum to provide human resource advice and services to the SME sector. The FCCISL which represents nearly 8,500 local business establishments employing more than 1.5 million workers, signed an agreement with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) to launch the forum, with the overall objective of providing policy, representative and awareness-building support to the country's small and medium scale enterprise sector. "We are very happy that the German government is supporting us in this initiative which aims to provide Sri Lanka's SME sector with a host of services which were hitherto not freely available to enterprises in this sector," said Nihal Abeysekera, President of the FCCISL. According to GTZ Country Director Dr. Roland F. Steurer, the German government, based on a bilateral agreement with the Sri Lankan government, is providing assistance for economic reform and the development of a market oriented economy in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has commissioned GTZ to implement a program that would contribute to improving the competitiveness of the SME sector. GTZ program coordinator Uta Borges said that the importance of the human factor in organisational efficiency and productivity is often forgotten. "In the corporate sector it is common to see human resource departments that manage labour related issues, plan and conduct internal training programs and balance interests. But this is beyond what SMEs can afford," Borges said. She said Labour regulations are not always transparent and in many aspects do not confirm with the needs of small and medium enterprises. "I strongly believe that the initiative taken by the FCCISL to establish a dialogue forum on industrial relations will substantially contribute to the improvement of industrial relations through the envisaged workshops, seminars, advisory services and awareness campaigns and even might be able to advise on necessary modifications of the regulatory framework," she said. |
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