• 17-member committee working on determining reforms
• Amendments aimed at meeting modern needs

The first draft amendments to Sri Lanka’s labour laws are expected to be finalised and submitted by the end of this year, as a Cabinet-approved 17-member committee works on determining the appropriate reforms.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe said that although the committee had not provided an exact timeline, it was expected that the first few draft amendments would be finalised and submitted by the end of the year.

He said that, following Cabinet approval, the 17-member committee, chaired by the Secretary to the Ministry of Labour, had been appointed to consider possible reforms to the country’s labour laws. 

The Deputy Minister added that the committee was actively engaged at present in determining the appropriate reforms and would be developing the draft labour law amendments.

“Many of the labour laws have become obsolete in the current context and we are looking to amend them in order to meet the needs of the modern world. We have appointed the committee for this purpose,” he said.

The appointment of the committee forms part of the Government’s broader labour law reform drive. 

At a meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Labour Affairs held on 8 October 2025, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando said that attention was being given to the introduction of four key bills under the proposed labour law reforms.

At the meeting, the Secretary to the ministry said that the 17-member committee had been appointed to study the reforms of 14 labour laws currently in force. He added that the committee had, at its initial meeting, reached a basic consensus to draft four principal labour-related bills covering trade unions, labour, occupational safety, and termination of employment. 

It was also stated that the necessary amendments would be made to the existing laws until the new laws were formulated.

It was further revealed that amendments would be made to legislation concerning women working at night, labour protection law, and matters related to insurance in the event of termination of employment. 

The proposed labour law reform drafts will be prepared following detailed discussions with relevant stakeholders, including trade unions.