Proposal to increase legal working age to 16 years approved

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The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the amendment of relevant labour laws to enable the increase of the minimum age of engagement in service up to 16 years.

This is in terms of the legal provisions applicable to labours to suit the legal provisions describing the compulsory age of schooling as 16 years.

The approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on the 10th of June 2020.

Accordingly, the Legal Draftsman has formulated the drafted laws for the amendment of the following acts and regulations:

– Act (Regularizing the employer and wages) on shops and office employees No. 19 (Authority 129) of 1954

– Act on the engagement of women, youth, and children in service No. 47 of 1956

– The ordinance from which the minimum wages (lndian Labourers) were amended (Authority 135)

– Factories Ordinance No. 45 of 1942

– The orders published in the gazette extraordinary of the Government No. 11573 dated 31.10.1958 formulated under the provisions of the Employees Provident Fund No. 15 of 1958.

The proposal, submitted by the Minister of Labour Nimal Siripala de Silva, calls for the submission of the said draft bills to the Parliament after publishing in the government gazette notification.

It further calls for tabling the orders declared as per the provisions of the Employees Provident Fund No 15 of 1958 in the Parliament.