Sri Lanka and Thailand have signed two labour agreements paving the way for the recruitment of an initial 10,000 Sri Lankan workers, establishing a formal framework intended to govern their employment and protection in Thailand.
The agreements were signed in Bangkok by Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Thailand’s Labour Minister Julapun Amornvivat. The signing marks the establishment of procedures for the recruitment and employment of Sri Lankan workers, with the initial target set at 10,000 people.
The framework covers key aspects of overseas employment, including employment contracts, legal protection, welfare, visas and work permits. By setting out procedures in these areas, the agreements provide a formal basis for the recruitment of Sri Lankan workers and seek to establish clearer conditions governing their employment in Thailand.
A central element of the agreements is the protection of workers from practices associated with irregular recruitment and exploitation. The framework includes measures to prevent illegal recruitment and human trafficking, placing safeguards alongside the arrangements for bringing Sri Lankan workers into the Thai labour market.
Thailand has also confirmed that Sri Lankan workers recruited under the framework will receive equal rights and protection under Thai labour law. This includes legally mandated wages and benefits, providing assurances that workers recruited through the agreement will be covered by the protections available under Thai labour legislation.
The provisions on employment contracts, legal protection, welfare, visas and work permits are intended to address several of the practical and legal issues that arise when workers move across borders for employment. At the same time, the measures against illegal recruitment and human trafficking seek to ensure that the recruitment process operates within an established legal framework.
For Sri Lanka, the agreements create a structured pathway for an initial group of 10,000 workers to be recruited for employment in Thailand. For those workers, the commitments on legal protection, wages and benefits establish the conditions under which their employment is expected to take place.
The agreements therefore combine recruitment arrangements with specific safeguards for workers, reflecting an approach in which access to employment is linked to legal protection and welfare. Their provisions also place responsibility on the recruitment process to operate within defined procedures, rather than outside the formal employment system.
With the initial recruitment figure set at 10,000 Sri Lankan workers, the agreements establish a significant framework for labour movement between the two countries. Their implementation will determine how the procedures covering recruitment, employment, legal protection, welfare, visas and work permits operate in practice, while the commitments on equal rights and protection under Thai labour law provide the stated basis for the workers’ employment conditions.
