Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2019-06-18

Making regulations to the Employees Provident Fund enabling the members of the Employees Provident Fund to obtain their benefits with ease and without delay

- The Employees' Provident Fund Act, No.15 of 1958 was enacted with a view to providing retirement benefits to the employees in the private as well as the semi‑government sector. Although the employer is bound to furnish the information of an employee recruited, to the Department of Labour, in terms of the said Act, no provision has been made in the Act as to the specific time period during which such information is to be furnished. As such, it has been observed that a considerable number of employees are subject to various types of inconveniences. Taking these matters into consideration, the proposal made by H.E. the President Maithripala Sirisena, at the request of the Non‑Cabinet Minister of Labour and Trade Union Relations, to make regulations under the Employees' Provident Fund Act, No.15 of 1958, so as to require the employer to furnish the worker information to the Department of Labour within a specific time period given from the date of recruitment of a worker and in the event that the employer fails to furnish such information, to enable the worker himself to provide the information required directly, was approved by the Cabinet.