Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1998, published 87th ILC session (1999)

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) - Sri Lanka (Ratification: 1972)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report.

1. Further to its previous comments on the need to adopt legislative provisions in order to ensure full conformity with the requirements of Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention, the Committee notes the Government's statement that amendments to the Industrial Disputes Act are under consideration. The Committee trusts that these amendments to the Industrial Disputes Act will ensure the full protection of workers against acts of anti-union discrimination and of workers' organizations against acts of interference by employers and their organizations accompanied by effective and sufficiently dissuasive sanctions, in accordance with the requirements of the Convention. It requests the Government to supply a copy of these amendments as soon as they are adopted.

2. With reference to a previous observation made by the Lanka Jathika Estate Workers' Union that a draft collective agreement in the plantation sector was being discussed, the Committee had asked the Government to keep it informed of developments. The Committee notes that the Government points out that the draft collective agreement as well as five others had been signed in the plantation sector.

3. Further to its previous request for information on any progress made in collective bargaining in the free trade zones, the Committee notes that the Government indicates that Article 4 is applied in all sectors of the economy including free trade zones and the industrial establishments within the purview of the Sri Lanka Board of Investments and that details on collective agreements are not available at the moment. The Committee urges the Government to provide more detailed and concrete information in this respect including the number of collective agreements concluded, the number of workers covered, etc., in these free trade zones and industrial establishments.