The Government is yet to decide on whether or not to go ahead with the labour law reform process which commenced during the previous Government led by then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

During Wickremesinghe’s Government, proposed labour law reforms focused on consolidating existing legislation into a unified labour code, and certain parties alleged that the implementation of such reforms would weaken worker rights.

The Daily Morning inquired Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe as to whether the Government would go ahead with the related process commenced during the former Government, to which he replied that there had been no discussion on the matter thus far.

Proposed changes during the Wickremesinghe-led Government included allowing flexibility in work hours, removing overtime caps, and reducing protections against arbitrary dismissal. There were however allegations that these reforms weaken workers’ rights, bypass established consultation processes, and jeopardise Sri Lanka’s adherence to international labour standards. The proposed reforms were particularly controversial in sectors like garment manufacturing, which rely heavily on worker-related protections for global compliance.