CBL Exports wins Gold Award

Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment Secretary Gamini Senevirathne presenting the award to CBL Exports Assistant General Manager Commodore (Retd) Senaka Hanwella and other senior managers of the company

CBL Exports Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of CBL won the gold award in the manufacturing sector medium scale category at the ‘Social Dialogue and Workplace Cooperation Excellence awards 2018. This much coveted island wide competition on social dialogue and workplace cooperation is conducted annually by the Department of Labour, Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations. 

Manufacturing sector is the mainstay of our economy. This sector contributes in a great measure to the economic prosperity of the country. The relationship between employer and employee is very vital to ensure industrial peace and stability. Social dialogue and workplace cooperation competition is promoted by the department of labour with a view to maintain employer employee relationship at the highest level. This initiative promotes a culture where problems that arise at the workplace is resolved through dialogue between two parties without allowing those issues to be escalated to undesired levels. 

CBL Exports (CBLE) located in the Seethawaka Exports Processing Zone has been able to maintain a very healthy dialogue with its entire workforce from its establishment seven years ago. It operates with 30 other factories in the zone and is regarded as a business entity which is committed to highest levels of workplace ethics. The company’s cordial relationship with other factories in the zone has been also considered in evaluating health social dialogue with external parties. CBLE is one of the few factories which operates three shifts. Maintaining a healthy dialogue and very cordial relationship with the entire workforce is very challenging for a company which operates 24 hours a day. The company has a very conducive and open culture where any team member has access to the highest level of the company to redress any grievance. 

The award ceremony was held at Sri Lanka Foundation Institute on 14 December. The gold award was presented to the company by Gamini Senevirathne, Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment. The award was received by CBL Exports Assistant General Manager Commodore (Retd) Senaka Hanwella and other senior managers of the company.