Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Arun Hemachandra has stressed the need to ensure stronger social protection mechanisms, safe overseas employment opportunities and economic security for migrant workers.
He made the remarks while participating in an International Labour Organization (ILO) programme held in Colombo today (28).
Representatives from both migrant-sending and destination countries participated in the programme, which focused on strengthening cooperation to safeguard the rights and social protection of migrant workers.
Addressing the event, Acting Minister Hemachandra emphasised that migrating for employment should be a process that leads to opportunity rather than risk.
He highlighted the need to ensure protection throughout the entire migration process, from pre-departure preparation and recruitment to employment, social protection, return to the country of origin and reintegration into society.
The Acting Minister also outlined several measures taken by the government over the past two years.
These include increasing compensation for the death of registered and eligible migrant workers to Rs. 2 million, advancing work towards the introduction of a contributory pension scheme, and drafting a new Foreign Employment Act.
He also said preparations are currently underway to establish a mechanism that would enable Sri Lankans living overseas to exercise their voting rights.
The Acting Minister further stressed the importance of digitalisation in strengthening services provided to migrant workers.
He said the “LankaKonect” service, introduced jointly by the ILO and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, enables migrant workers to submit complaints, track the progress of their complaints and access government assistance more directly.
The Acting Foreign Minister stressed that Sri Lanka’s foreign employment policy should not focus solely on increasing the number of workers leaving the country for overseas employment.
Instead, he said, the policy should also prioritise skills development, better employment opportunities, safe and orderly migration processes, stronger worker protection, and the long-term economic security of migrant workers and their families.
He also highlighted the importance of further strengthening cooperation between migrant-sending and destination countries, particularly in areas such as social protection, recruitment regulation, family protection and reintegration.
While recognising the significant contribution made by Sri Lankan migrant workers to the country and their families, the Acting Minister reiterated the importance of making their rights, dignity and safety a key priority of Sri Lanka’s foreign employment policy.
