Sri Lanka plans to introduce a new unified labour code by end-2026 to replace decades of fragmented statutes and shift the country towards a productivity-first model, Labour Minister Anil Jayantha Fernando has said.
A cabinet-appointed expert committee is currently merging and updating old acts into a single legal framework, and a draft will soon be opened for public and expert review, the minister told the launch of the National Export Development Plan 2026–2030 on Tuesday, EconomyNext reported.
“We have faced a history of antagonization and confrontation in industrial relations in the past,” Jayantha said. “The objective of these labour reforms is to create a conducive environment and a peaceful working environment in all the working places.”
Fernando said that with traditional competitive factors such as raw materials and technology easily bought globally, human talent and labour efficiency are now the country’s main levers for growth. The proposed code will serve as a key pillar of the Export Development Board’s five-year strategic plan to integrate Sri Lanka into global supply chains and support the NEDP target of US$36 billion in exports by 2030.
The reform sits alongside the minister’s earlier engagements with the International Labour Organization on the future of work, including warnings on the AI-driven displacement of up to 22 percent of the workforce and discussions on AI-led labour uplift in Geneva.
Source: EconomyNext — Sri Lanka to overhaul labor laws with unified code by end-2026: Minister
