The Current Status and Evolution of Industrial Relations in Sri Lanka

[Excerpt] Howe and Strauss (2007) propound the theory that there is a clear nexus between the significant events youth face and their attitudes in later life. This is relevant in looking at the evolution of industrial relations, especially in Sri Lanka. One could say that the historical context of Sri Lanka has played a major role in the current behaviour of management and labour—from the nationalist revival in 1956 and the culture change which gripped the country until the insurgency of 1971 which can be identified as the coming to a head of the frustrations created in relation to emancipated, educated youth who had no prospects of proper employment. The language policy introduced under the cultural revolution created a hostile divide between the English-speaking managers, who in colonial times and for several decades thereafter came from elite schools, and the ‘swabasha’1 educated workers. Since the language of management and business transactions continued to be English, it was difficult for those receiving education in the local languages to claim higher positions in the private sector although often they were better technically qualified, at least on paper, than the English- peaking candidates selected. With educated youth finding that they could not access the higher echelons without English the obvious reaction was to resent the language as well as the system which used it. The policy in the government was to use the swabasha for official transactions and this led to graduates educated by local universities moving mostly into public sector management positions, seldom securing employment in the private sector. The tension created by Sinhala-educated youth not having adequate access to jobs compatible with their education led to the insurrection in 1971. The youth of that era are now mature citizens and legislators and are therefore anxious to give fair opportunity to youth coming into the labour market by helping them acquire language skills needed for employment

Malaria in Sri Lanka: Current knowledge on transmission and control

Malaria / Disease vectors / Waterborne diseases / Environmental effects / Public health / Economic impact / Social impact / Sri Lanka

Governing urban wetlands for green growth in the Western Region Megapolis of Sri Lanka

The Western Region Megapolis (WRM) of Sri Lanka, the conurbation associated with Greater Colombo and covering the entire Western Province, is the thriving economic center of the country. According to the State of Sri Lankan Cities 2018 report (GoSL 2018), the city accounts for 40% of Sri Lanka’s gross domestic product (GDP), 30% of its population and is the nation’s administrative center. The WRM is also endowed with wetlands of international importance. This includes the Bellanwila-Attidiya marshes: a 370-ha freshwater marsh in southern Colombo rich in biodiversity (Box 1); the Colombo Flood Detention Area: a 400-ha network of marshes and canals that traverse the DISCUSSION BRIEF An aerial view of the city of Colombo in Sri Lanka with its network of wetlands supporting urban dwellers - A hub for green growth. Photo: Martin Seemungal city; and the Muthurajawela marsh: a 2,500-ha saltwater marsh in northern Colombo, which is the largest saline peat bog in Sri Lanka (IUCN and CEA 2006). The aim of this brief is to support the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to leverage the WRM wetlands to foster green growth. Green growth promotes economic development alongside environmental sustainability, and is gaining traction as a model to achieve sustainable urban development globally (Hammer et al. 2011). According to OECD (2013: 9), governments promote green growth “to create jobs and attract firms and investment, while improving local environmental quality and addressing global environmental challenges, particularly climate change.

Annual report RUAF - Cities farming for the future, South and South East Asia Region, 2008

Urban agriculture / Training / Development projects / India / Sri Lanka

Employee Perceptions of Fit, Intention to Quit, Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction and Work Engagement: Direct, Mediation and Moderation Effects

This research examined important work related perceptions and attitudes of employees currently working across major industries in New Zealand to gain insight into factors, including person-environment fit and intention to quit, that could contribute to the overall success of an organization, and the well-being of individuals at work. The research model consisted of three parts: part A examined employee fit perceptions, namely value congruence, demands-abilities fit and needs-supplies fit, in direct relation to intention to quit. Part B proposed that the direct relationships predicted in part A would be mediated by organizational commitment, job satisfaction and work engagement. Part C proposed that work-related attitudes (continuance commitment and job satisfaction) and employee perceptions (needs-supplies fit) would moderate the relationships between types of perceived fit and employee intention to quit. Two hundred and two surveys were included in the data analyses which showed complete support for the relationships predicted in part A and B of the theoretical model. Of the three fit types investigated in this study, it was found that needs-supplies fit had the strongest correlation with employee intention to quit. A few other key findings were that affective commitment mediated the relationship between value congruence and intention to quit, and that both job satisfaction and work engagement mediated the relationship between demands-abilities fit and intention to quit. No support was found for part C (moderated relationships). Although no causal inferences should be drawn from these results, these findings highlight the importance of employee fit perceptions, by demonstrating how types of fit can impact upon an employee’s intention to quit both directly and indirectly through work-attitudes. A major implication that can be drawn from this research is that business owners could benefit from focusing specifically on certain essential types of P-E fit during the recruitment and selection process by selecting future employees with personal values that align with the values of the organization, have abilities to match the demands of the job role and have needs that can be matched by the supplies an organization has to offer. Continually monitoring the fit perceptions and attitudes of current employees through the application of feedback systems is also encouraged. Focusing on such factors provides employers with the opportunity to manage work-related perceptions and attitudes of employees in order to establish a healthy work-environment

Small irrigation tanks as a source of malaria mosquito vectors: a study in north-central Sri Lanka

Watersheds / Tank irrigation / Rehabilitation / Malaria / Waterborne diseases / Disease vectors / Sri Lanka / Yan Oya

Some Legal Problems of State Trading in Southeast Asia

State trading-trade conducted internationally by a state or public agency-has become a feature of the mixed economies of southeast Asia. With the growing importance of economic planning and the increase of state intervention (often tantamount to absolute control)in areas of the economy of individual southeast Asian countries, there has been an expansion of international trading functions by states or public agencies. Much of this trade is conducted at a state to state level, i.e., on a bilateral basis. This kind of infrastructure is attributable in part to the fact that the Communist bloc countries generally either have no place for the private trader or else regard him with particular caution. Ceylon\u27s bilateral trade is a result of its market instability and its search for economic independence. Al-though its dealings are largely with Communist China, it is unlikely that Ceylon will make a permanent shift out of world markets in favor of total bilateral trade. India\u27s trade with the Soviet bloc, on the other hand, is motivated largely by the desire to display economic and political neutrality by opening its gates to trade with all countries. In the case of Burma, expansion of markets for rice at a time when it was having difficulty selling in its traditional markets was,perhaps, the crucial factor. The situation of Indonesia, whose position in the world market for primary products was particularly strong, is more difficult to explain. It is possible that the Sino-Soviet bloc found in Indonesia a useful source for much needed materials and offered her especially attractive terms for her industrial development in return for those materials; in addition, a good deal of political sympathy for Communist China within Indonesia led to a certain acquiescence in bilateralism, even though the nature of the Indonesian economy did not warrant any such predisposition

Report on water quality survey and pollution in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka

Water resources / Water pollution / Water quality / Monitoring / Electrical conductivity / Ph / Nitrogen / Iron / Boron / Heavy metals / Coliform bacteria / Sri Lanka / Kurunegala / Wan Ela / Beu Ela

Sri Lanka Malaria Maps

BACKGROUND: Despite a relatively good national case reporting system in Sri Lanka, detailed maps of malaria distribution have not been publicly available. METHODS: In this study, monthly records over the period 1995 – 2000 of microscopically confirmed malaria parasite positive blood film readings, at sub-district spatial resolution, were used to produce maps of malaria distribution across the island. Also, annual malaria trends at district resolution were displayed for the period 1995 – 2002. RESULTS: The maps show that Plasmodium vivax malaria incidence has a marked variation in distribution over the island. The incidence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria follows a similar spatial pattern but is generally much lower than that of P. vivax. In the north, malaria shows one seasonal peak in the beginning of the year, whereas towards the south a second peak around June is more pronounced. CONCLUSION: This paper provides the first publicly available maps of both P. vivax and P. falciparum malaria incidence distribution on the island of Sri Lanka at sub-district resolution, which may be useful to health professionals, travellers and travel medicine professionals in their assessment of malaria risk in Sri Lanka. As incidence of malaria changes over time, regular updates of these maps are necessary