Sri Lanka: Unions Overcome Barriers to Organising in Export Processing Zones

By ICFTU

The number of unions recognised in Sri Lanka's zones is still quite low, but the inroads made so far offer a ray of hope. What strategies are trade unions deploying to organise the export processing zones, well-known bastions of anti-unionism in Sri Lanka, as elsewhere in the world?

What obstacles lie in their way? What are the concrete results for the men and women working in the zones, all too often under deplorable working and living conditions? This briefing from Trade Union World, (from the ICFTU) reports from Sri Lanka's export processing zones.

What can be done to adapt trade union strategies to the young, female profile of EPZ workers whilst fighting against the traditional opposition of employers and the authorities? With perseverance and flexibility, leisure and training centres located close to the zones have prepared the ground for their unionisation.

Workers union is in have also to deal with blacklists, claims that they are terrorists and various other intimadatory tactics. However they are persevering and employers who have accepted the unions are now showing productivity increases and much better relationships with employees. The unions are also fighting for better living conditions and an end to child labour. The Ceylon Workers Congress and the National Workers Congress are the major union bodies involved.

(ICFTU Trade Union World Briefing no 19, August 2006)