The government is preparing to introduce four key bills under the proposed labour law reforms, the Minister of Labor and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando has stated.

This was revealed during a meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Labour Affairs, according to a statement by the Department of Communication of Parliament.

Speaking at the meeting, the Secretary to the Ministry stated that a 17-member committee has been appointed to study the reforms of 14 labor laws currently in force.

He noted that the committee, at its initial meeting, reached a basic consensus to draft four principal labour-related bills.

The Secretary to the Ministry further also stated that the committee has agreed to prepare separate bills for four areas: trade unions, labour, occupational safety and termination of employment and that necessary amendments will be made to the existing laws until new laws are formulated.

The Secretary to the Ministry also said that amendments will be made to the Women Working at Night law, the Labour Protection law and matters related to insurance in the event of termination of employment.

The Ministry officials also stated that the process of formulating a national policy on occupational safety and health has reached the final stage and that it is expected to be published soon.

Furthermore, steps have been taken to update the database of the Labour Department in a timely manner. Under the government’s digitalization program, amendments are being made to ensure that workers are immediately registered in the system upon entering the labour force, officials have stated.