The Department of Labour has announced that the national minimum wage in the private sector will increase from Rs. 27,000 to Rs. 30,000, while the daily wage will rise from Rs. 1,080 to Rs. 1,200, effective from January 1, 2026.

According to a statement issued by Commissioner General of Labour H. M. D. N. K. Wataliyadda, the wage hike is implemented under the provisions of the National Minimum Wage Amendment Act.

As per the provisions of the Employees’ National Minimum Wage Amendment Act No. 11 of 2025, employers are required to pay the relevant wages.

The statement further notes that in implementing the amendment properly, every employer, including both the immediate employer and the final employer, will be bound by the Act’s provisions in respect of any worker employed in an industry or service through an intermediary or contractor.

According to Section 4 of the amended Act, apart from budgetary relief allowances, no other allowance received by a worker as of 31 March 2025 should be counted towards the minimum wage.

With this wage increase, employers are responsible for ensuring that all statutory payments, such as contributions to employee benefit funds, employer liability funds, overtime, bonuses, maternity benefits, and holiday payments, are calculated accordingly.

The statement also adds that if employers fail to make proper payments, complaints can be lodged through the Labour Department’s complaint management system or submitted in writing to the nearest labour office. (Newswire)

The post National minimum wage for private sector to increase appeared first on Newswire.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has invited private investors to convert the President’s Houses and ministers’ official residences in tourist zones such as Nuwara Eliya, Anuradhapura, Mahiyanganaya and Kataragama into holiday resorts targeting foreign tourists. 

The proposal was made yesterday (29) during a pre-budget discussion on the 2026 tourism sector at the Presidential Secretariat. 

The President stressed that promotional campaigns alone would not achieve the sector’s targets and called for a joint strategic programme between the public and private sectors.

Business leaders outlined challenges facing tourism, while the President requested concrete proposals for its advancement. 

Senior officials and representatives from the finance ministry, tourism authority, export board and private sector participated in the meeting. (Newswire)

The post State residences to holiday resorts : President unveils tourism sector revival plan appeared first on Newswire.

South Asia is facing a sharp rise in extreme weather, with nearly 90 per cent of the population expected to be exposed to intense heat and more than one in five people at risk of severe flooding by 2030, according to a new World Bank report.

The report, which lays out policy reforms that would help households and firms adapt to increasingly frequent and damaging weather events, further states that with public budgets under pressure, much of the adaptation effort will need to come from the private sector. 

Released today, From Risk to Resilience: Helping People and Firms Adapt in South Asia, finds that awareness of climate risk is high. More than 60 per cent of households and firms have experienced extreme weather in the last five years, and more than 75 per cent expect it for the next decade. Many households and businesses are already taking steps to adapt to climate risks. Around 80 per cent of households and 63 per cent of firms have taken some measures to adapt. However, most of these measures are basic, such as raising house foundations or installing fans. More advanced options, like using climate-resilient seeds or relocating from high-risk areas, remain less common.

“The urgency is growing. People and firms are already adapting, but they are doing so with limited tools and few resources,” said Martin Raiser, World Bank Vice President for South Asia. “Governments must act quickly to remove the barriers that prevent more effective adaptation. This includes removing distortions in land and labour markets, expanding access to finance and investing in public infrastructure to support people and businesses as they respond to climate risks.”

The report finds that market barriers and income constraints are holding back stronger adaptation. Households with more education or access to formal finance are more likely to adopt advanced strategies. Similarly, better-managed firms with fewer regulatory barriers tend to be more adaptive. Removing these barriers would enable more effective adaptation by households and firms.

“Private sector adaptation could reduce one-third of the region’s projected climate damage, but this requires governments to strengthen enabling environments,” said Franziska Ohnsorge, World Bank Chief Economist for South Asia. “Adaptation is most effective when markets function well and when essential services like transport, water, healthcare, and digital connectivity are widely accessible.”

The report calls for both targeted adaptation efforts and broader development measures that also build climate resilience. Governments have a critical role to play, even with limited fiscal space. They can expand access to localised climate information, promote weather-indexed insurance, and support the use of resilient technologies such as energy-efficient cooling systems. Public investments in infrastructure that keep people safe and connected, such as roads, drainage, power supply, and mobile networks, are also essential.

In Bangladesh, investments in early warning systems and cyclone shelters have helped reduce fatalities during major storms. In India, cities like Ahmedabad are leading with heat action plans to protect urban populations from rising temperatures. They demonstrate how targeted investments and effective institutions can help scale up local adaptation successfully.

The report calls for policy action guided by three core principles. First, implement a comprehensive package of adaptation measures. Second, prioritize solutions that support both development and climate resilience. Third, align adaptation strategies with long-term development goals to ensure lasting progress. Governments in South Asia can best build resilience by creating the conditions that empower households and firms to adapt. (Newswire)

The post Climate resilience in South Asia will be Private Sector-led – World Bank report appeared first on Newswire.

The National Election Commission has announced the mandatory leave to be granted for private sector employees to cast their ballots in the 2025 Local Government Election.

According to the Election Commission, leave for the Local Government Election must be granted as special leave and should not impact their private leave. 

Private sector employees are to be granted ½ day leave for travel up to a distance of 40 kilometres and one day leave for a distance of 40-100 kilometres.

Leave of 1 ½ days is to be granted for travel between 100-150 kilometres, and two days for a distance above 200 kilometres.

The Election Commission states that three days’ leave could be granted on occasions where it is necessary to travel from the workplace to the polling booth and return. 

The upcoming Local Government Election is scheduled for 06 May 2025. (Newswire)

The post LG polls : EC announces leave structure for Private Sector employees appeared first on Newswire.

The Ministry of Labour has issued a statement outlining the salary increments that will be made to private sector employees, starting this year, based on the government’s 2025 budget proposal. 

According to the Labour Ministry, it has been proposed to increase the basic salary from Rs. 21,000 to Rs. 27,000 and the minimum wage from Rs. 700 to Rs. 1080.

As such, the minimum wage of Rs. 21,000 given now for private sector workers is a combination of Rs. 17,500 given under the provisions of the National Minimum Wage of Workers (Amendment) Act, Rs. 1000 under the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Worker Act, No. 36 of 2005 and Rs. 2,500 under the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Act, No. 4 of 2016.

A previously given Rs. 3500 as a budgetary relief allowance will now be added to the minimum wage, which will see an increase in the basic salary and the benefits provided in line with the salary scale.

The Labour Ministry further said that the government has proposed an increment of Rs. 27,000 to basic salary this year, while next year it hopes to grant an increment of Rs. 30,000 and also hopes to increase the minimum wage from Rs. 1080 to 1200. 

Stating that the Cabinet’s approval has been received in this regard, the Labour Ministry added that the necessary bill in this regard will be presented to Parliament soon. (Newswire)

The post Rs. 27,000 minimum Pvt sector salary : Statement from Labour Ministry appeared first on Newswire.

A heated verbal exchange took place between Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ajith P. Perera and National People’s Power (NPP) MP Lakmali Hemachandra over the private-sector salary increment proposed in the government’s 2025 Budget. 

Speaking during a televised debate, NPP MP Lakmali Hemachandra said that the government has received the consensus of private-sector stakeholders for a salary increment.

She further said that a nearly Rs. 9000 increment has been agreed to by the relevant private-sector stakeholders, which would be implemented in due time. 

Raising questions on the statement, MP Ajith P. Perera queried when the consensus had been reached and with whom, seeking clarification over the private-sector stakeholders mentioned by the government. 

“If there was no consensus, the private sector stakeholders have time to address this. We won’t tell you the date we reached the agreement. The salaries will be increased, that is all. Why would we tell you the date the agreement was reached?” Hemachandra responded. 

On being repeatedly questioned when the agreement had been reached with private-sector stakeholders, MP Lakmali Hemachandra said the details have been mentioned in the NPP government’s 2025 Budget.

NPP MP Lakmali Hemachandra further refused to respond stating that the government was not inclined to inform MP Perera of the specific details.

“We won’t tell you the date. This is such a strange question, and we won’t answer your question,” Hemachandra added. (Newswire)

The post “We won’t answer your question” : NPP MP clashes with SJB MP over Private Sector Salary hike appeared first on Newswire.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has announced his intention to prioritize the inclusion of proposals from the private sector in this year’s budget and to separately examine related areas. 

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), he made these statements while attending a 2024 pre-budget -discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday (Nov 01) with the leaders of private sector institutions.

During the meeting, the President discussed reform programs designed to help the country recover from the economic crisis it is currently facing and move towards sustainable growth.

Leaders of private sector institutions presented proposals to the President, focusing on increasing government revenue and efficiency, as well as measures to support various industries, including attracting investors, the tourism industry and the garment industry.

They also urged the President to prioritize measures aimed at overcoming the current economic crisis and addressing the challenges faced by business people in various sectors in this year’s budget.

President Wickremesinghe expressed his commitment to giving careful consideration to the ideas and suggestions put forward by the leaders of private sector institutions. He intends to conduct separate discussions on each of these areas in the future.

The efforts made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to achieve economic stability in the country were also commended by the leaders of private institutions. (NewsWire)

The post President to consider Private Sector proposals for Budget 2024 appeared first on Newswire.

The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to introduce Amendments to the Employees’ Trust Fund Act No. 46 of 1980.

The government stated that a proposal to provide health insurance similar to the Agrahara health insurance to private sector employees was presented to Parliament by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the 2023 budget speech. 

Accordingly, the Cabinet has approved the proposal presented in this regard by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies.

Cabinet approval has been given to instruct the legal draftsman to prepare a bill to amend the Employees’ Trust Provident Fund Act No. 46 of 1980 enabling the implementation of said proposal. (NewsWire)

The post Cabinet approval for health insurance for the Private sector appeared first on Newswire.