News
Parliament to give more powers to Labour Tribunal Presidents
Parliament will take up for debate this week the Industrial Disputes (Special Provisions) Bill to give more powers to the Presidents of the labour tribunals as Additional Magistrates “to hear, try, determine and dispose of all suits or prosecutions under the provisions of specified enactments and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.”The decision to take up the Bill for debate was made at the last Ministerial Consultative Committee on Labour and Foreign Employment held at the parliamentary complex recently with Minister Manusha Nanayakkara presiding, Parliament sources said.
The new Bill, published in the Gazette dated April 8 2022, has provisions enabling the President of a labour tribunal to act as an Additional Magistrate and vesting him with power and authority to hear, try, determine and dispose of cases in a summary way “by virtue of the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, No. 15 of 1979 in relation to the enforcement of any award made by any arbitrator or industrial court or any order made by the labour tribunal under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act (Chapter 131) or any decision of the Commissioner or recovery of payment upon a certificate issued by the Commissioner or implementation of the provisions of the specified enactments.
“The provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, No. 15 of 1979 and Evidence Ordinance (Chapter 14) shall apply to and in relation to the procedure to hear, try, determine and dispose of the suits or prosecutions before the labour tribunal,” the bill says.
Commissioner General of Labour Prabath Chandrakeerthi, explaining the provisions in the Bill said that currently cases where an employer terminated the employment of an employee are heard by a labour tribunal as per the provisions of existing Industrial Disputes Act. With regard to the cases pertaining to disputes on Employees’ Provident Fund, wages, other terms and conditions, litigation takes place at the Magistrates’ Courts. At present there are more than 16,000 cases that have been filed before about 80 Magistrate Courts countrywide. This limitation causes a delay and aggrieved parties are at a disadvantage because of the delayed justice. The dispute resolution process could be expedited if the presidents of labour tribunals give more powers to hear such cases. There are 37 established labour tribunals countrywide.
Minister Nanayakkara’s predecessor incumbent Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva, Deputy Chairman of the Committees, Angajan Ramanathan and MP Jagath Pushpakumara and officials from the Ministry of Labour and its statutory bodies were present at the meeting.
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.
During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
INS Sahyadri sets sail from Colombo
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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