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| Sunday, 1 December 2002 |
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Bid to clear backlog of disputes : Sixteen more labour tribunals soon by DON ASOKA WIJEWARDENA In a bid to clear approximately 14,000 industrial disputes pending at labour tribunals, the Ministry of Labour will set up 16 more tribunals throughout the country, including the North and East as well. At the request of several human rights organisations in the North and East, the Ministry has already planned to open two such tribunals in Jaffna and Batticoloa with effect from January 2003. The other 14 labour courts will come up in Matale, Kegalle, Kalutara, Matara, Galle, Deniyaya, Trincomalee, Ratnapura, Badulla, Kandy, Ampara, Killinochchi, Colombo and Matugama. Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe stressed the importance of amending the present Labour Tribunal Act as there was no provision to expedite and settle longstanding labour and industrial disputes and grant relief to the victims. He said that he had already presented an amendment to the Labour Tribunal Act in parliament on September 13, with special emphasis for the creation of a "Social Security Net" for which his ministry had obtained Cabinet approval to get the necessary funds from the Treasury for the construction of the new labour tribunals. According to the new amendment (Hearing and Determination of Proceedings - Special Provisions Bill) steps will be taken to immediately settle more than 14,000 industrial and labour disputes pending verdicts, expediting compensation procedures within 4 months and settling labour disputes of any nature with the assistance of both employer and employee and establishing a social security net to protect employees with their inalienable rights. According to Labour Ministry sources, the 16 labour tribunals will help to ease the present congestion at the labour courts and dispose of all pending cases within a period of 3 months and grant relief for the victims. The Commissioner of Labour will gazette the labour tribunal verdicts within one month and, any party who wishes to appeal, can do so to the Court of Appeal, which would decide its outcome within 2 months whatever the nature of the case may be. |
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