BOI’s Biyagama Zonehonoured with prestigious industrial relations award

 BOI BEPZ team with Award and Certificate. From left: Amitha Padmini (Assistant Director), H A T Rohitha (Deputy Director), Eng. Athula Jayasinghe (Director - Zone) and Renuka Dasanayake, (Senior Deputy Director).

The Biyagama Export Processing Zone (EPZ) of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka was honoured recently for achieving a very high standard in ‘Social standard and Workplace co-operation’. The Biyagama EPZ received a Silver Award from the Department of Labour, Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment and Department of Petroleum Resources Development.

This award was very significant because there has been an international trendfor countries to uphold the highest standards of industrial relations in work places.

In fact, the development of harmonious labour relations has become a discipline in its own right and enterprises now seek to develop an ongoing dialogue between workers and management.

Furthermore, with the need to secure timely production and supply discerningglobal markets without any delay, it is a prerequisite that production deadlines are met. Harmonious relations within the workplace therefore is necessary andindeed a vital component to any modern economy. Hence, it is important that both management and the workforces of enterprises are clear on the need to work together to achieve the enterprise’s success.

The award is an annual event that covers four sectors including Plantation, Manufacturing, Services and Apparel. The participating enterprises are categorised as being Large, Medium or Small Scaledepending on the size of their respective work forces.

This competition was aimed at identifying the extent to which there was mutual understanding between the employer and employee, the ability to understand the opinion of others and team work within the organisation.

The panel included experts from multi-disciplinary professions appointed by the Department of Labour.

The competition was held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI), Colombo recently under the patronage of the Secretary to the Ministry of Labour, Foreign Employment and Petroleum Resources Development.