Industrial Disputes (Special Provisions) ACT
Arrangement of Sections
1. Short title and date of operation.
2. Labour tribunal to exercise the power of a Magistrate.
3. Applicability of the provisions of Code of Criminal Procedure Act, No. 15 of 1979 and Evidence Ordinance (Chapter 14).
4. Sinhala text to prevail in case of inconsistency.
SCHEDULES
19 of 2022.
AN ACT to make special provisions to empower the labour tribunals to hear, try, determine and dispose of all enforcement proceedings and prosecutions under the provisions of specified enactments and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
[Date of Commencement: On Notice]
1. Short title and date of operation.
This Act may be cited as the Industrial Disputes (Special Provisions) Act and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, in consultation with the Minister assigned the subject of Justice, appoint by Order published in the Gazette.
2. Labour tribunal to exercise the power of a Magistrate.
(1) Every labour tribunal established under section 31a of the Industrial Disputes Act shall, in addition to the powers and duties conferred by written law, exercise the powers conferred upon a Magistrate for the purpose of enforcement of any award made by any arbitrator or industrial court or any order made by the labour tribunal under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act or any decision of the Commissioner or recovery of payment upon a certificate issued by the Commissioner or implementation of the provisions incidental hitherto of the enactments specified in the Schedule I hereto (in this Act referred to as the “specified enactments”).
(2) For the purposes of this Act, the jurisdiction of a labour tribunal as mentioned above shall, subject to the provisions of subsection (3), be limited to a judicial division of a Magistrate’s Court as may be demarcated under subsection (3) of section 5 of the Judicature Act where the labour tribunal is situated.
(3) The jurisdiction of a labour tribunal referred to in Column I of the Schedule II hereto shall be limited to the judicial division of the Magistrate’s Court referred to in the corresponding entry in Column II of that Schedule.
(4) For the avoidance of doubt, it is hereby declared that the Magistrate’s Court shall continue to exercise such other powers other than the powers under subsection (1) of this section as specified in the specified enactments in any judicial division of the Magistrate’s Court including judicial division specified in Column II of Schedule II.
3. Applicability of the provisions of Code of Criminal Procedure Act, No. 15 of 1979 and Evidence Ordinance (Chapter 14).
(1) The President of a labour tribunal specified in Column I of Schedule II shall have the power and authority to hear, try, determine and dispose of cases in a summary way by virtue of the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, No. 15 of 1979 in relation to the enforcement of any award made by any arbitrator or industrial court or any order made by the labour tribunal under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act (Chapter 131) or any decision of the Commissioner or recovery of payment upon a certificate issued by the Commissioner or implementation of the provisions of the specified enactments.
(2) There shall be a duly appointed Registrar and an incidental staff for the purpose of implementing the functions specified under subsection (1) of section 2 of this Act.
(3) The provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, No. 15 of 1979 and Evidence Ordinance (Chapter 14) shall mutatis mutandis apply to and in relation to the procedure to hear, try, determine and dispose of the suits or prosecutions before the labour tribunal:
Provided that, the provisions of Evidence Ordinance (Chapter 14) shall not apply for the conduct of proceedings under section 31b of the Industrial Disputes Act (Chapter 131) by the labour tribunal.
4. Sinhala text to prevail in case of inconsistency.
In the event of any inconsistency between the Sinhala and Tamil texts of this Act, the Sinhala text shall prevail.
Schedule I
[section 2(1)]
1. Allowances to Plantation Workers Act, No. 72 of 1981
2. Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Law (No. 1) Law, No. 1 of 1978
3. Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers (No. 2) Law, No. 18 of 1978
4. Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Act, No. 36 of 2005
5. Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Act, No. 4 of 2016
6. Chauffeurs Regulation Ordinance (Chapter 73)
7. Control of Labour (Change of Designation) Ordinance, No. 22 of 1945
8. Diseases (Labourer’s) Ordinance (Chapter 225)
9. Employees’ Councils Act, No. 32 of 1979
10. Employees’ Holiday Act, No. 6 of 1959
11. Employees’ Provident Fund Act, No. 15 of 1958
12. Employees’ Provident Fund (Special Provisions) Act, No. 6 of 1975
13. Employees’ Trust Fund (Special Provisions) Act, No. 19 of 1993
14. Employees’ Trust Fund Act, No. 46 of 1980
15. Employment of Trainees (Private Sector) Act, No. 8 of 1978
16. Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act, No. 47 of 1956
17. Estate Labour (Indian) Ordinance (Chapter 133)
18. Estate Quarters (Special Provisions) Act, No. 2 of 1971
19. Factories Ordinance (Chapter 128)
20. Fuel Conservation Five Day Week Act, No. 11 of 1978
21. Holiday Act, No. 29 of 1971
22. Indian Immigrant Labour Ordinance (Chapter 132)
23. Industrial Disputes Act (Chapter 131)
24. Inspector of Labour (Change of Designation) Act, No. 7 of 1958
25. Interim Devaluation Allowance of Employees Act, No. 40 of 1968
26. Labour Inspections (Maintenance of Secrecy) Act, No. 13 of 1972
27. Maternity Benefits Ordinance (Chapter 140)
28. Medical Wants Ordinance (Chapter 223)
29. Mines (Prohibition of Female Labour Underground) Ordinance (Chapter 130)
30. Mines and Minerals Law, No. 4 of 1973
31. Mines, Quarries and Minerals Ordinance (Chapter 210)
32. Minimum Retirement Age of Workers Act, No. 28 of 2021
33. Minimum Wages (Indian Labour) Ordinance (Chapter 135)
34. National Apprenticeship Act, No. 49 of 1971
35. National Minimum Wages of Workers Act, No. 3 of 2016
36. Payment of Gratuities & Other Monetary Benefits to Indian Repatriates (Special Provisions) Act, No. 34 of 1978
37. Payment of Gratuity Act, No. 12 of 1983
38. Privilege Leave (Private) Law, No. 14 of 1976
39. Registration of Domestic Servants Ordinance (Chapter 137)
40. Service Contracts Ordinance (Chapter 72)
41. Shop & Office Employees (Regulation of Employment & Remuneration) Act (Chapter 129)
42. Special Allowances of Workers Law, No. 17 of 1978
43. Supplementary Allowances of Workers Act, No. 65 of 1979
44. Termination of Employment of Workmen (Special Provisions) Act, No. 45 of 1971
45. Trade Union Ordinance (Chapter 138)
46. Trade Union Representatives (Entry into Estates) Act, No. 25 of 1970
47. Tundu Prohibition Ordinance (Chapter 134)
48. Wages Boards Ordinance (Chapter 136)
Schedule II
[section 2(3)]
|
No. |
Column I |
Column II |
|
|
Labour tribunal |
Relevant jurisdiction of the Magistrate’s Court |
|
1. |
Labour Tribunal No. 1 |
Chief Magistrate’s Court, Colombo 12 |
|
2. |
Labour Tribunal No. 2 |
Chief Magistrate’s Court, Colombo 12 |
|
3. |
Labour Tribunal No. 8 |
Chief Magistrate’s Court, Colombo 12 |
|
4. |
Labour Tribunal No. 13 |
Chief Magistrate’s Court, Colombo 12 |
|
5. |
Labour Tribunal No. 33, Maharagama |
Magistrate’s Court, Homagama |
|
6. |
Labour Tribunal No. 32, Ratmalana |
Magistrate’s Court, Mount Lavinia |
|
7. |
Labour Tribunal No. 1/Additional and No. 2/Additional, Battaramulla |
Magistrate’s Court, Kaduwela |
|
8. |
Labour Tribunal No. 30, Kaduwela |
Magistrate’s Court, Kaduwela |
|
9. |
Labour Tribunal No. 19, Avissawella |
Magistrate’s Court, Avissawella |
|
10. |
Labour Tribunal No. 24, Gampaha |
Magistrate’s Court, Gampaha |
|
11. |
Labour Tribunal No. 31, Wattala |
Magistrate’s Court, Wattala |
|
12. |
Labour Tribunal No. 21, Negombo and No. 21/ Additional, Negombo |
Magistrate’s Court, Negombo |
|
13. |
Labour Tribunal No. 25, Panadura |
Magistrate’s Court, Panadura |
|
14. |
Labour Tribunal No. 18, Kalutara |
Magistrate’s Court, Kalutara |
|
15. |
Labour Tribunal No. 04, Galle |
Magistrate’s Court, Galle |
|
16. |
Labour Tribunal No. 26, Matara |
Magistrate’s Court, Matara |
|
17. |
Labour Tribunal No. 34, Kotapola |
Magistrate’s Court, Morawaka |
|
18. |
Labour Tribunal No. 03, Kandy |
Magistrate’s Court, Kandy |
|
19. |
Labour Tribunal No. 39, Palapathwala |
Magistrate’s Court, Matale |
|
20. |
Labour Tribunal No. 38, Nawalapitiya |
Magistrate’s Court, Nawalapitiya |
|
21. |
Labour Tribunal No. 37, Thalawakele |
Magistrate’s Court, Thalawakele |
|
22. |
Labour Tribunal No. 10, Hatton |
Magistrate’s Court, Hatton |
|
23. |
Labour Tribunal No. 09, Nuwara-Eliya |
Magistrate’s Court, Nuwara-Eliya |
|
24. |
Labour Tribunal No. 05, Badulla |
Magistrate’s Court, Badulla |
|
25. |
Labour Tribunal No. 36, Bandarawela |
Magistrate’s Court, Bandarawela |
|
26. |
Labour Tribunal No. 44, Ampara |
Magistrate’s Court, Ampara |
|
27. |
Labour Tribunal No. 06(R), Ratnapura |
Magistrate’s Court, Ratnapura |
|
28. |
Labour Tribunal No. 40, Balangoda |
Magistrate’s Court, Balangoda |
|
29. |
Labour Tribunal No. 06(E), Embilipitiya |
Magistrate’s Court, Embilipitiya |
|
30. |
Labour Tribunal No. 42, Kegalle |
Magistrate’s Court, Kegalle |
|
31. |
Labour Tribunal No. 23, Kurunegala |
Magistrate’s Court, Kurunegala |
|
32. |
Labour Tribunal No. 46, Kuliyapitiya |
Magistrate’s Court, Kuliyapitiya |
|
33. |
Labour Tribunal No. 28, Chilaw |
Magistrate’s Court, Chilaw |
|
34. |
Labour Tribunal No. 27, Anuradhapura |
Magistrate’s Court, Anuradhapura |
|
35. |
Labour Tribunal, Trincomalee |
Magistrate’s Court, Trincomalee |
|
36. |
Labour Tribunal No. 22, Batticaloa |
Magistrate’s Court, Batticaloa |
|
37. |
Labour Tribunal, Jaffna |
Magistrate’s Court, Jaffna |