The Minister of Labour Nimal Siripala de Silva has stated that the relevant laws will be enacted within the next three months to amend the age at which a person can be employed to a certain age, taking into consideration the daily occurrence of child slavery.
He was speaking at a meeting of the Ministry of Labor yesterday (27) with the participation of representatives from the Department of Labor, the Attorney General’s Department, the Ministry of Justice, the Children and Women’s Bureau, the International Labor Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund.
The Minister also instructed the relevant officials to expedite the process as the Legal Draftsman’s Department has already prepared the necessary regulations to revise the list of hazardous employment through the regulations to be introduced under the Employment of Women, Youth and Children Act.
The Minister also said that the rules pertaining to the 100 year old domestic service community will be changed and new rules will be introduced for their welfare.
The employment of children and the rights of domestic workers were discussed at length, where the employer was required to register information with the District Labor Officer on the employment of domestic workers, including the inclusion of domestic workers in the National Minimum Wage Act. It was also decided to amend the Employees Provident Fund and Employees Trust Fund (ETF) Acts to cover employees (EPF). It was also proposed to formulate new regulations regarding the granting of working hours, leisure time and leave to the domestic work community and to ensure that they are provided with safe and fair service inspections. It was also decided to introduce a Code of Conduct for Domestic Workers to ensure that these domestic workers are paid a fair bonus when they leave their jobs.
The Minister emphasized that the purpose of these new measures is not only to protect the rights of the domestic workers’ community but also to ensure their professional dignity through the new regulations.
-Shani-