Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Maternity Protection Convention (Revised), 1952 (No. 103) - Sri Lanka (Ratification: 1993)

Follow-up to the conclusions of the Committee on the Application of Standards (International Labour Conference, 100th Session, June 2011)

The Committee notes with interest that following the technical cooperation request formulated by the Government, in September 2014 a national tripartite workshop on the application of the Convention was organized by the ILO in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations. The workshop was based on a technical report commissioned by the Office for the Government exploring the options for ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Convention in the mid- to long term having regard to the various non-conformity issues raised by this Committee and the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards in 2011. These included, inter alia, the establishment of a maternity social insurance scheme replacing the current employer liability system for the payment of maternity cash benefits in coordination with other reforms, such as those aimed at establishing an employment injury scheme as well as elements of a social protection floor. The Committee expresses the hope that the Government will provide detailed information on the options chosen, based on the tripartite discussions during the workshop, as well as a timetable setting the objectives for the implementation of the envisaged reforms. The Committee refers the Government to its 2011 observation, for a comprehensive analysis of the discrepancies which continue to exist between the situation in national law and practice and the provisions of the Convention.