National Policy for Decent Work in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The setting out of a National Policy for Decent work in Sri Lanka was a result of the commitment made at a Regional Meeting of the ILO constituents in 2001. The concept of decent work arose from one of the founding principles of the International Labour Organization and is defined as the ‘’opportunities for men and women to obtain productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.’’ The surest way of alleviating poverty is increasing the quantity of jobs available and assuring the quality of the said jobs, which is the essence of Decent work. Four elements have been identified, these being Opportunity for work, Rights at work, Social protection and Social Dialogue. The National Policy has taken cognizance of the weaknesses in the focus area of decent work, and set out a policy to overcome these weaknesses. Subsequently, a National Action Plan has also been laid out to convert this policy into action. This document is a very useful tool in guiding the way to both social and economic development in the country.