Colombo (ILO News) –Sri Lanka’s migrant workers are a vital part of the economy with over 200,000 Sri Lankans emigrating for work annually, contributing to approximately 2 million Sri Lankans working overseas. Private remittances sent to Sri Lanka in 2017 were equivalent to US$ 7.19 billion (approximately 63% of total export earnings and 9% of GDP). Recognising the importance of the labour migration sector, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has prioritized labour migration in numerous national policy documents, including the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP), Sub- Policy and National Action Plan on Return and Reintegration of Migrant Workers, and the Migration Health Policy. In 2010, the Safe Labour Migration Programme (SLMP) was initiated to increase the development benefits of migration by contributing to decent working conditions and improved wellbeing of migrants and their families.

The Safe Labour Migration Programme ended its third phase on 29 Feb 2020. Supported by the Embassy of Switzerland, the project sought to increase the development benefits of migration by improving the safety of migrant workers through interventions both at the policy and grassroot level. Since 2010, the project has made significant progress in safeguarding the rights, security and dignity of migrant workers at all stages of the migration cycle. The project has been implemented in the districts of Gampaha, Kurunegala, Nuwara Eliya, Batticaloa and Ampara, working with government stakeholders, recruitment agents, community-based organisations and migrant workers, to increase awareness and ensure safer labour migration practices are adopted.

To celebrate ten years of working on safe labour migration, the ILO together with Helvetas Sri Lanka, and the Embassy of Switzerland in Sri Lanka, hosted an event titled ‘Recognising contribution of migration workers, strengthening safe labour migration processes in Sri Lanka’ on 25th February in Colombo. The event brought together a diverse range of actors in the labour migration sector to share experiences and lessons learnt from working on safe labour migration for a decade. Particularly significant was the participation of migrant workers. Returned migrants from Ampara, Batticaloa, Gampaha, Nuwera Eliya and Kurunegala shared experiences of their migration journeys through recruitment, in-service and return phases. The migrants then joined government, civil society, private sector and other actors in the labour migration sector to discuss challenges and opportunities in advancing safe labour migration processes so that both the migrant worker and the country benefits. The significance of the event was that it was the first time all of these actors were brought together in one forum to discuss, debate and agree on key action points to make labour migration safe for the thousands of Sri Lankans who travel overseas each year in search of incomes for a better life for themselves and their families in Sri Lanka.

As the Safe Labour Migration Programme (SLMP) ends, key highlights from the discussions will inform regional and global migration policy dialogues, which shape the global agenda on Migration and Development. For stakeholders in Sri Lanka, the discussions, which included migrant worker perspectives, were an opportunity to reflect on their work and to find ways that the insights could be integrated to their day-to-day activities to improve safe labour migration processes for migrants from Sri Lanka.

For more information please contact:

Mr. Asitha Seneviratne, ILO Country Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives: asitha@ilo.org
Tel: + 94112592525