Speaker of House Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne today (23) endorsed his certification on the three Bills, the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers (Amendment) Bill to amend Act No. 36 of 2005, the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers (Amendment) Bill to amend Act No. 4 of 2016, and the National Minimum Wage for Workers (Amendment) Bill.
The Second Reading debate on the three Bills was held yesterday (22), and were passed by Parliament.
The three Bills were presented to Parliament for the First Reading on June 03, 2025.
Accordingly, the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers (Amendment) Bill (to amend Act No. 36 of 2005) shall come into operation as the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers (Amendment) Act, No. 9 of 2025; the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers (Amendment) Bill (to amend Act No. 4 of 2016) shall come into operation as the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers (Amendment) Act, No. 10 of 2025; and the National Minimum Wage for Workers (Amendment) Bill will come into operation as the National Minimum Wage for Workers (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2025.
By the provisions of the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers (Amendment) Act, No. 9 of 2025, the payment of the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers is deemed to have been discontinued with effect from March 31, 2025 and to have come into operation from April 01, 2025, the Department of Communication of Parliament said in a statement.
Further, by the provisions of the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers (Amendment) Act, No. 10 of 2025, the discontinuation of the payment of the Budgetary Relief Allowance, operative from March 31, 2025, is deemed to have come into operation from April 01, 2025.
In addition, the principal amendments introduced by the National Minimum Wage for Workers (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2025, are as follows:
1. For the period from April 01, 2025 to December 31, 2025:
- National minimum monthly wage: Rs. 27,000 (an increase of Rs. 9,500)
- National minimum daily wage: Rs. 1,080 (an increase of Rs. 380)
2. From January 01, 2026 onwards:
- National minimum monthly wage: Rs. 30,000 (a further increase of Rs. 3,000)
- National minimum daily wage: Rs. 1,200 (a further increase of Rs. 120)
Further, the Budgetary Relief Allowance has been incorporated as a component of the workers’ wage.
The Act is deemed to have come into operation with effect from April 01, 2025, according to the Department of Communication of Parliament.
