IndustriALL Global Union

01/14/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/14/2026 09:41

Sri Lanka ratifies ILO Convention 190: A milestone for workers’ rights

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14 January, 2026Sri Lanka has formally ratified the International Labour Organization's Convention No. 190 on the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work, submitting its instrument of ratification on 8 January at a ceremony in Colombo attended by government officials, ILO representatives and other stakeholders. With this step, Sri Lanka becomes the second country in South Asia, after Bangladesh, to adopt this landmark labour standard.


The ratification follows a key decision by the cabinet of ministers, which approved the legal provisions required to ratify and implement the convention in December 2025. This decision paves the way for the government to draft and enforce the necessary national laws and regulations.

Convention 190, adopted by the International Labour Conference in 2019, is the first international labour standard specifically aimed at preventing and addressing violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based harassment. It promotes safe, dignified employment conditions for all workers.

IndustriALL and its affiliates in Sri Lanka played a sustained role in achieving this milestone. National-level seminars, dialogues and awareness campaigns were organized by unions, in collaboration with civil society organizations, to highlight the importance of C190 and push for government action.

Affiliate leaders welcomed the ratification while also emphasizing the work ahead: "We are happy that Sri Lanka has become the second country in South Asia to ratify C190," said Palitha, president of NUMMS and general secretary of the

IndustriALL Sri Lanka Council. "Our unions campaigned from the day the convention came into action, mobilizing workers and holding dialogues across sectors to ensure understanding of its protections and to advocate for its ratification," he added.

"As unions, we see this as a victory for the years-long campaign carried out by organized and unorganized workers to ratify this convention, which protects workers from workplace harassment and abuse. However, our battle is only half won. Ratification of C190 is meaningless without the local legislature passing a corresponding Workplace Anti-Harassment Law. Without such a law, our workers cannot fully enjoy the protections guaranteed under this convention. Hence, we will continue to campaign until Parliament passes a Workplace Anti-Harassment Law that aligns fully with the principles and provisions of C190,"

said Swasthika, president of CIWU.

The ratification of ILO Convention 190 not only aligns Sri Lanka with international labour standards but also highlights the critical role of trade unions and social partners in shaping policies that protect workers' rights, promote gender equality, and foster safer workplaces across both formal and informal sectors.

"Sri Lanka's ratification of ILO Convention 190 is a major step forward for workers' rights and dignity at work. Violence and harassment have no place in the world of work and this convention provides a powerful framework to address them. The focus must now shift to implementation, ensuring that strong national legislation is adopted and that workers, especially women and those in precarious employment, are fully protected in practice,"

said Christina Olivier, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.

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