The Sri Lankan constitution grants as a fundamental right for every person to join a trade union, while the Trade Union Ordinance permits any seven people to form such an organization.
In Sri Lanka, there are 2,074 registered trade unions, of which 54.5 per cent are in the public sector, 27.5 per cent in public corporations and 18 per cent in the private sector. The number of members covered by the trade unions amount to 9.5 per cent of the total workforce of Sri Lanka.
While several unions are affiliated to the Global Union Federations (GUFs), there are four unions that are affiliated to the International Confederation of Trade Unions (ICTU). The ICTU members being: Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya (SLNSS), National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and the National Workers Congress (NWC).
The ILO office works and consults with the most representative unions or collectives within a sector or trade in the implementation of activities under the DWCP.
The Employers Federation of Ceylon (EFC) formed in 1929 has been the ILO’s prime counterpart for employer related activities. The EFC takes the lead in coordinating activities with regional and district chambers of trade, commerce and industry on behalf of the ILO.