Thursday Aug 20, 2026
Thursday Aug 20, 2026
Tuesday, 18 August 2026 12:38 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Labour Ministry has launched awareness and enforcement measures to address forced labour risks in Sri Lanka, including concerns identified among tea smallholders in the Southern Province, officials told the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) last week.
Labour Ministry officials told CoPF on 11 August that the Government began a process in 2025 with assistance from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to strengthen efforts against forced labour.
He said 30 officials from the Department of Labour, Sri Lanka Police and the Foreign Employment Section of the Foreign Affairs Ministry were initially trained as trainers, following which around 250 officials, including police officers, labour officers and other enforcement personnel, had received training.
Sri Lanka has robust laws, and forced labour is a criminal offence under the Penal Code.
Awareness programs had already been conducted in the Southern Province after Amnesty International presented a report identifying elements of forced labour among tea smallholders.
Explaining the definition of forced labour, officials told CoPF that several factors could indicate such practices, including withholding original certificates, retaining part of salaries, delaying wage payments, keeping identity cards and restricting workers from taking employment elsewhere.
They alleged that some employers may retain part of an employee’s salary or delay payment, creating a situation where workers feel compelled to continue employment to recover wages owed.
The CoPF discussion also examined the link between forced labour concerns and international trade requirements, particularly in relation to US market access.
Trade Ministry officials said forced labour assessments depended on the nature of goods, noting that labour-intensive agricultural products could have a higher labour component, while manufactured goods may involve lower direct labour inputs due to automation.
Officials also discussed enforcement mechanisms for identifying forced labour in imports and exports. Declarations were required from relevant sources and were subject to the satisfaction of the Director General of Commerce, while the Government was working to institutionalise the mechanism further.
The committee was told that customs enforcement and coordination among agencies remained important as international markets increasingly examined supply-chain compliance.
