EU wants more protection for SL workers in FTZs
The European Commission (EC) has highlighted that more action is needed to protect Sri Lankan workers from anti-union discrimination.
“The assessment of Sri Lanka in the GSP report of February 2020 covering the period 2018-2019 highlighted that further actions were indeed required to ensure adequate protection from anti-union discrimination,” the EC has stated in a response to the letter sent by the Free Trade Zone Trade Union Joint Secretary Anton Marcus.
The EC has stated that they will continue to cooperate with the Sri Lankan authorities to monitor progress, including with regard to ensuring freedom of association in the Export Processing Zones, given the limited number of collective agreements in those areas.
Commenting on the request by the trade unions to establish a permanent monitoring function in Sri Lanka, the EC has noted that it is important to highlight that GSP + monitoring is already taking place on a “continuous basis and not only at the occasion of the publication of the GSP reports”.
In this respect however, they have stated that they encourage “tripartite discussions between the Sri Lankan authorities, businesses and trade unions on all labour issues in Sri Lanka, it would not be appropriate for the EU to intervene in or chair such discussions”.
They have welcomed “open and regular discussions with trade unions, which can inform our communication with the authorities”.