Lanka’s global rankings in labour efficiency unsatisfactory, says EFC outgoing chairman
View(s):Recent global rankings in terms of Sri Lanka’s competitiveness in labour efficiency and other issues are not very complementary of the country’s performance, a top business leader said.
“The latest Global Competitiveness Report 2014/2015 ranks Sri Lanka 73 out of 144 countries. In fact, Sri Lanka has slipped back five places from last year’s ranking. What is significant to note however is that in the overall labour market efficiency ranking, Sri Lanka is ranked 135 out of 144 which is quite unsatisfactory,” said outgoing chairman Sunil G Wijesinha of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) at its 85th Annual General Meeting held this week in Colombo.
Picture shows newly appointed EFC Chairman Susantha Ratnayaka being congratulated by EFC Director General Ravi Peiris.
Susantha Ratnayake was appointed Chairman of the EFC for the year 2014/2015 with Suresh Shah as Vice Chairman. Mr. Wijesinha urged the government to make the necessary changes in the regulatory framework and create an enabling environment for business, especially removing some of the archaic provisions in the labour laws which adversely affect employment generation. He said that the EFC has been lobbying for the removal of restrictions on females to work in the night in the Shop and Office Employees Act, especially in the context of the BPO/KPO/IT industry, according to a statement issued by EFC containing his comments.
Mr. Wijesinha was quoted as saying that over the years the EFC has not only grown in numbers but also in terms of being the voice of business in the sphere of employee relations. He said that, in addition to the legal and advisory services that the EFC provides, it is also heartening to note that the setting up of the HR Solutions Division has been a progressive step towards making it a ‘one stop shop’ for employers in relation to all employment related matters.