EFC urges the ILO to be more stakeholder-focused

Employers Federation of Ceylon (EFC) Director General Ravi Peiris has urged the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to be more stakeholder-focused to achieve a win-win situation amidst global challenges.

In his address to the 101st International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva yesterday, Peiris also expressed his gladness that the ILC 2012 was giving due recognition to Freedom and Association and Collective Bargaining, two fundamental standards that the EFC actively engage in on behalf of employers.

The Director General said that it was extremely important that these two conventions be accurately perceived and interpreted in the light of what is happening in the world of work today.

He pointed out that The ILO Convention on Freedom of Association clearly recognises the right of the worker to choose an organisation of his choice, whilst the Collective Bargaining Standard clearly recognises that bargaining between employers and workers was also a voluntary decision.  He stated that it was extremely important for us to recognise these fundamental principles when formulating any strategy that promotes these standards in the world of work today. With regard to these conventions he said, “We cannot ignore the interests of the most important persons – the worker and the employer.” He went on to say that previous over regulation of these standards has resulted in more violations and that the time has come for us to look inwardly to address these issues rather than look to impractical regulations that would not bring about solutions.



Speaking about Sri Lanka, the Director General said that despite being subjected to external and internal pressures, the private sector has shown great resilience and has been instrumental in driving the Sri Lankan economy to its current position whilst giving due respect and recognition to fundamental labour standards.

This year’s discussion on the fundamental principles and rights at work was aimed at providing a better understanding of the diverse realities and needs of the ILO’s member states.

On this issue Peiris said, “At the beginning of this second century, it is time that the ILO becomes more stakeholder focused than be preoccupied in promoting bland concepts that could be far away from the practical world of work.”

He went on to say that the ILO needs to be sensitive to the peculiarities and vulnerabilities of each of its member countries. “We cannot have uniform yardsticks on universal standards. We need to respect our nations’ diversity and cultures and consider each country on the basis of its practical realities and economic capacities in the context of promoting these standards.”

The Director General of the EFC then stipulated that Sri Lankan employers continued to require a more enabling environment in order to conduct business. “This does not mean a hire and fire regime. It does mean an environment which will allow flexible working hours, fewer restrictions on employment of women and more attention to productivity and quality.”

The Director General said that an environment that strikes a balance between efficiency and equity was required for Sri Lankan employers.

In closing, Peiris thanked the ILO for its support and assistance and asked that going forward it help all social partners to develop strategic resilience so that they would have the capacity to change before the need for change became desperate in an uncertain economic future. He called upon the social partners to also unite in building a capacity for change that would ensure a fair and productive world of work for future generations.