Compatibility of Sri Lanka’s Labour Law Standards with ones in TPPA – A legal analysis

Abstract

The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement is a controversial trade agreement involving 12 countries that is stratergically well positioned to address many of labour law standards among other basic discussions. TPP include a comprehensive labour chapter which promote compliance with internationally recognized labour rights. It highly encourage the freedom of association , elimination of all forms of forced labour, effective abolition child labour, the elimination of discrimination in employment and an acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages. TPPA is likely to ensure the expansion of existing laws relating to the labour standards and the partner countries would achieve a labour friendly environment. If Sri Lanka decide to be a party to this agreement it is very important to analyse this labour chapter. Sri Lanka is a member of ILO and has ratified about 31 international labour conventions including al the ILO’s core labour conventions. Laws relating to Sri Lanka labour standards are laid down in almost about 50 statues according to the Labour Law Department of SL.This paper analyse the existing labour law standards in Sri Lanka and it’s compatibility with TPP labour standards through associated theoretical literature in comparison with the chapter 19 of the TPPA. It has identified that Sri Lanka already having a sufficient amount of laws more likely to the TPPA standards but not a well recognized mechanism to connect them with globalized issues and respond them practically and it requires more amendments to the existing laws in accordance with recent trends