member Sri Lankan labor delegation headed by Keheliya Rambukwella, Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare is in Riyadh on a three-day official visit to the Kingdom. During the visit Rambukwella and his accompanying members in the delegation is scheduled to hold talks on a host of labor issues with Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh and Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, Minister of Labor Sri Lanka will submit a clemency appeal to Saudi government for a Sri Lankan maid now on a death row in the Kingdom. “We respect the Saudi laws and will be looking forward to discuss all labor issues under legal framework. We will make a plea for her life to be spared if the Saudi law permits,” Rambukwella said. Last June, Rizana Nafeek, a 19-year-old Sri Lankan domestic helper, was sentenced to death by a three-member panel of judges in Dawadami High Court. She was convicted of killing a four-month-old infant who was put in her care. The Sri Lankan Minister said his three-member delegation includes Kingsley Ranawaka, Chairman of Sri Lankan Bureau of Foreign Employment and L.K. Ruhunage, Deputy General Manager for Foreign Relations. Rambukwella said there are around 200 Sri Lankans serving different jail terms in the Kingdom for various minor and grave offenses. There are around 500,000 Sri Lanka nationals in the Kingdom, most of them are domestic helpers, he said. “ We will discuss a wide range of labor issues that come up from time to time, but certain issues will be thoroughly handled, he said. No specific details were available on the issues of deep concern. But he said “With 500,000 Sri Lankans working on a foreign soil, there would be labor disputes.” Sri Lanka seeks to sign a unified labor agreement with the Kingdom, like it did with other Gulf countries, he said. The proposed unified labor agreement would highlight issues such as work conditions, leave entitlements, underpayment, delayed pays, and others aspects to further strengthen the already existing good relations between the two countries. Sri Lanka would be willing to provide Saudi Arabia with skilled Sri Lankan workforce to help it with its booming economy. There is more to Sri Lankan workforce than domestic helpers, he said. Members of Sri Lankan delegation will also hold talks with officials of Saudi Arabian National Recruitment Committee (SANARCOM) on issues of minimum wage, which Sri Lanka fixed sometime ago for its nationals in the Kingdom. __
