Sri Lanka - Labour Law Falls Short of ILO Minimum Standards (2013)

Unfair labour practices such as anti-union discrimination are tried before the Magistrate’s Court; however, only the Ministry of Labour can make a complaint to the Magistrate’s Court. The only option available to unions to expedite the process is to obtain a writ from a higher court, a time-consuming and expensive legal exercise. The Ministry of Labour has brought few cases before the Magistrate’s Court since the law was introduced. The ILO has reiterated that trade unions should have direct access to the courts.