Work & employment

රැකියාව සහ සේවා නියුක්තිය · வேலை மற்றும் தொழில்

Pay, leave, dismissal, safety, abroad

Situations

• Getting your gratuity · පාරිතෝෂිකය (Gratuity) ලබා ගැනීම · பணிக்கொடை (Gratuity) பெறுதல்
• Is your EPF and ETF being paid? · ඔබේ EPF සහ ETF ගෙවනවාද? · உங்கள் EPF, ETF செலுத்தப்படுகிறதா?
• Your salary is unpaid or below the minimum wage · ඔබේ වැටුප නොගෙවූ හෝ අවම වැටුපට අඩුයි · உங்கள் சம்பளம் வழங்கப்படவில்லை அல்லது குறைந்தபட்சத்துக்குக் குறைவு
• You work long hours or overtime without extra pay · ඔබ අතිකාල දීමනා නොමැතිව දිගු පැය වැඩ කරනවා · மேலதிகக் கொடுப்பனவின்றி நீண்ட நேரம் வேலை செய்கிறீர்கள்
• How much leave you are entitled to · ඔබට හිමි නිවාඩු ප්‍රමාණය · உங்களுக்கு உரிமையுள்ள லீவு எவ்வளவு
• You are pregnant and need maternity leave · ඔබ ගැබිනියි, මාතෘ නිවාඩු අවශ්‍යයි · நீங்கள் கர்ப்பிணி, மகப்பேற்று லீவு தேவை
• You were dismissed from your job · ඔබව රැකියාවෙන් පහ කළා · நீங்கள் வேலையிலிருந்து நீக்கப்பட்டீர்கள்
• You were laid off or your company is closing · ඔබව සේවයෙන් ඉවත් කළා හෝ ආයතනය වසා දමනවා · நீங்கள் வேலையிலிருந்து நிறுத்தப்பட்டீர்கள் அல்லது நிறுவனம் மூடப்படுகிறது
• You were injured at work · රැකියාවේදී ඔබ තුවාල වුණා · வேலையில் நீங்கள் காயமடைந்தீர்கள்
• You face sexual harassment at work · රැකියා ස්ථානයේදී ඔබට ලිංගික හිරිහැර සිදුවෙනවා · பணியிடத்தில் பாலியல் துன்புறுத்தலுக்கு உள்ளாகிறீர்கள்
• A child is being made to work · ළමයෙකු වැඩට යොදවා තිබෙනවා · ஒரு சிறுவர் வேலைக்கு அமர்த்தப்பட்டுள்ளார்
• You are being forced to retire before 60 · අවුරුදු 60ට පෙර විශ්‍රාම යාමට බල කරනවා · 60 வயதுக்கு முன் ஓய்வுபெற வற்புறுத்தப்படுகிறீர்கள்
• You are going abroad for work · ඔබ විදේශ රැකියාවකට යනවා · நீங்கள் வெளிநாட்டு வேலைக்குச் செல்கிறீர்கள்
• Public service pension and W&OP · රාජ්‍ය සේවා විශ්‍රාම වැටුප සහ වැ.අ.වි. · அரச சேவை ஓய்வூதியமும் விதவைகள் அனாதைகள் ஓய்வூதியமும்
• Disciplinary action against a public servant · රාජ්‍ය සේවකයෙකුට එරෙහි විනය ක්‍රියාමාර්ග · அரச ஊழியருக்கு எதிரான ஒழுக்காற்று நடவடிக்கை

Acts, ordinances and regulations

• Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act, No. 19 of 1954 — Sets working hours, overtime, weekly holidays, annual and casual leave and maternity leave for shop and office staff.
• Wages Boards Ordinance, No. 27 of 1941 — Creates Wages Boards that fix minimum wages, hours and leave for particular trades such as factories and estates.
• National Minimum Wage of Workers Act, No. 3 of 2016 — Sets one national minimum monthly and daily wage that every private sector employer must pay.
• National Minimum Wage for Workers (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2025 — Raised the minimum wage to Rs. 27,000 a month (April 2025) and Rs. 30,000 a month from 1 January 2026.
• Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Act, No. 4 of 2016 — Gave private sector workers a monthly relief allowance. From April 2025 it was folded into the new minimum wage.
• Industrial Disputes Act (Chapter 131) — Sets up Labour Tribunals, conciliation and arbitration. A dismissed worker can apply to a Labour Tribunal for relief.
• Termination of Employment of Workmen (Special Provisions) Act, No. 45 of 1971 — Covered employers cannot end a worker's job for non-disciplinary reasons without the worker's written consent or the Commissioner's approval.
• Termination of Employment of Workmen (Special Provisions) (Amendment) Act, No. 23 of 2022 — Raised fines on employers who ignore the Commissioner's orders and added a daily fine for continuing non-compliance.
• TEWA compensation formula (Gazette, February 2021) — Sets compensation for terminated workers by years of service. The upper limit was raised to Rs. 2.5 million in 2021.
• Minimum Retirement Age of Workers Act, No. 28 of 2021 — Sets 60 as the minimum retirement age for covered private sector workers, with transitional ages for older workers.
• Maternity Benefits Ordinance — Gives maternity leave, maternity pay and nursing breaks to women workers not covered by the Shop and Office Act.
• Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act — Bans employing children under 16, and bans hazardous work for anyone under 18. Also regulates night work.
• Factories Ordinance, No. 45 of 1942 — Safety, health and welfare rules for factories: fencing machines, safe access, cleanliness and reporting accidents.
• Workmen's Compensation Ordinance (amended by Act No. 10 of 2022) — Employers must compensate workers injured or killed at work, including while travelling to or from work since 2022.
• Employees' Provident Fund Act — Employer and employee contribute monthly to a retirement savings fund run by the Central Bank and Labour Department.
• Employees' Trust Fund Act — Employer pays a monthly contribution for each worker into the Employees' Trust Fund, with no deduction from salary.
• Payment of Gratuity Act, No. 12 of 1983 — Workers with enough years of service get a lump-sum gratuity when their job ends.
• Penal Code (Ordinance No. 2 of 1883), section 345 — Makes sexual harassment, including at the workplace, a crime punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.
• Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment Act, No. 21 of 1985 (amended by Act No. 56 of 2009) — Workers going abroad must register with the Bureau. Recruitment agencies must be licensed. Sets offences for fraud by agents.
• Trade Unions Ordinance — Lets workers form and join registered trade unions, which can represent members in disputes and tribunals.
• Proposed reforms (not yet law, October 2026) — A single new Employment Act is still being discussed. In July 2026 Cabinet approved drafting a new law to replace the 1985 foreign employment Act.
• Minutes on Pensions — Rules for public service pensions and gratuities (revised Pension Minute of 1972, as amended).
• Widows' and Orphans' Pension Fund Ordinance — Contributory pension for widows and orphans of male public officers.
• Widowers' and Orphans' Pension Act, No. 24 of 1983 — Contributory pension for widowers and orphans of female public officers.
• Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act, No. 4 of 2002 — Public officers may appeal Public Service Commission orders to this Tribunal within four weeks.
• Establishments Code — Government rules on public servants' conduct, leave and disciplinary procedure.