Labour & Employment Law

AW Chambers advises and represents clients in labour and employment matters where process, records, and timing often determine the strength of the position taken.

Sri Lankan employment law is statutory rather than contractual in its centre of gravity, and the statute that governs most terminations is the Termination of Employment of Workmen (Special Provisions) Act No. 45 of 1971. Where TEWA applies, an employer generally cannot terminate a qualifying worker without either the worker's consent or the prior written approval of the Commissioner General of Labour. Employers who assume notice and severance are enough are regularly caught by it.

Disciplinary dismissals sit outside that requirement but inside a different discipline: a fair reason, a properly constituted inquiry, and a record that shows both. Applications then run to the Labour Tribunal under the Industrial Disputes Act No. 43 of 1950, which may order reinstatement or compensation on what is just and equitable, with appeal to the High Court.

Around those two frameworks sit the day-to-day compliance obligations — the Shop and Office Employees Act on hours, holidays and overtime, EPF and ETF contributions, maternity benefits, and workmen's compensation. Most disputes the chambers sees began as a record-keeping problem before they became a legal one.

Whether acting for employers or affected individuals, the emphasis is on procedural fairness, disciplined documentation, and practical outcomes.