ILO to assist Sri Lanka initiatives

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena requested the International Labour Organization (ILO) to assist the government in introducing a public service dispute prevention and resolution mechanism.

He made this request when ILO Country Director Joni Simpson called on the Prime Minister at the Temple Trees, together with United Nations Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche.

The delegation thanked the Prime Minister for the initiative taken in this regard and for obtaining the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers for the proposal.

They assured the Prime Minister of their fullest support in implementing the proposed mechanism, which would not only resolve disputes but also prevent future disputes through a tripartite dialogue system.

Prime Minister Gunawardena briefed them on the impact the COVID pandemic and the economic crisis had on the labor workforce and the short-term and long-term steps taken by the government towards economic recovery while also aiding laborers, particularly those within the low-income range.

He further stressed that the government was keen to make the country’s labor workforce upwardly mobile and thus explained the multitude of training programs launched for skill development.

“Increasing the quality and quantity of jobs is the surest way of moving people out of poverty”, he said.

He said Sri Lanka has implanted the ILO regulations on the labour work force and provided opportunities for both, men and women, to obtain productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.

Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake and UN Country Office Analyst Nethali Madawala also took part in the discussion.