Two women garment workers at Lanka Garments in Sri Lanka’s Koggala Free Trade Zone were coerced into resigning after management accused them of forming a trade union. The workers were detained for hours and threatened with police action as narcotics offenders unless they signed resignation letters. Their “offence” was planning to attend a Women’s Centre workshop on gender equality and workers’ rights.
The Women’s Centre reports that seven other workers who planned to attend the workshop were also summoned and interrogated. Despite the two women immediately withdrawing their forced resignations in writing, the factory has refused to reinstate them. The Women’s Centre has filed complaints with Sri Lankan authorities, noting the incident violates Article 14 of Sri Lanka’s Constitution, ILO Conventions 87 and 98, and international human rights frameworks including CEDAW.
The Women’s Centre is calling for international solidarity to demand justice and reinstatement of the dismissed workers.
Read UnionAID’s letter below.
If you wish to send letters of concern or solidarity to the respective authorities, please find their official email addresses below:
- Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment – info@labourmin.gov.lk
- Ministry of Women and Child Affairs – secretary@childwomenmin.gov.lk
- Board of Investment of Sri Lanka – info@boi.lk
- Regional Director, BOI Galle – ranatungap@boi.lk
- District Labour Office, Galle – gol@labourdept.gov.lk
UnionAID letter:
Dear Ministers and Officials,
Re: Coerced Resignations of Workers at Lanka Garments (Pvt) Ltd, Koggala Free Trade Zone
I write on behalf of UnionAID, a New Zealand-based organisation supporting workers’ rights and trade unions across the Asia Pacific region, to express our grave concern regarding the recent violation of fundamental workers’ rights at Lanka Garments (Pvt) Ltd (JB Apparel) in the Koggala Free Trade Zone.
We understand that on 11 October 2025, two women garment workers were summoned to the Human Resources Division, detained for several hours, and coerced into signing letters of resignation after being accused of attempting to form a trade union. Their only “offence” was planning to attend a Women’s Centre workshop on gender equality, business and human rights scheduled for the following day. The workers were subjected to intimidation, including threats of police action as narcotics offenders, in order to force their resignations.
We further understand that seven additional workers who planned to attend the same workshop were also summoned and interrogated, demonstrating a systematic attempt to suppress workers’ rights to education and association.
Despite both workers immediately withdrawing their forced resignations in writing, the factory management has refused to reinstate them. This action represents a serious violation of:
- Article 14 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, which guarantees the fundamental right to freedom of association
- ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise
- ILO Convention 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining
- ILO Convention 111 on Discrimination (Employment and Occupation), part of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work framework
- The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
- The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
It is particularly concerning that workers were punished for seeking to educate themselves about their rights and gender equality, a fundamental aspect of worker empowerment and decent work.
The right to freedom of association is a cornerstone of decent work and democratic society. Workers must be free to organise, to educate themselves about their rights and gender equality, and to participate in activities that support their empowerment without fear of retaliation or discrimination.
We stand in solidarity with the Women’s Centre and the affected workers, and we urge you to take swift and decisive action to remedy this injustice and to send a clear message that violations of workers’ fundamental rights will not be tolerated in Sri Lanka.
We look forward to your prompt response and action on this urgent matter.
Regards,
James Ritchie – UnionAID Chair
