Author Archives: JWPwordpress
Amendments to the Employment Act in Sri Lanka
We have recently contributed to a paper published by a major International Law firm on the employment and remuneration regulations in Sri Lanka.
The Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act and the Maternity Benefits Ordinance have been amended by Acts nos. 14 and 15, of 2018, respectively, both of which were certified on 18 June 2018 to include:
- the removal of the limit of eighty-four working days paid maternity leave in respect of the first two children which will now be available regardless of the number of children the employee has at the relevant time;
- under the Shop and Office Act the entitlement to two nursing intervals during the course of a normal working day for female employees who are nursing a child under one year of age; and
- under the Maternity Benefits Ordinance, the entitlement to twelve weeks’ paid leave regardless of the number of children the employee has at the time of the confinement, where the confinement results in a live birth and the additional provision that the maternity benefits/leave provided for is to be in addition to any holiday or leave to which the employee is entitled under any other law or regulation.
Amendments to minimum wages
There have also been several Wages Boards decisions amending minimum wages. In addition to amendments of minimum wages in nine trades notified during the course of July 2018, the Wages Boards have amended the minimum wages for a further nine trades (including but not limited to coconut growing, rubber export, nursing home etc.) who will see an increase in their wages as published in Gazette no. 2090/14 of 25 September 2018. For further information regarding this paper, visit : Read more.
URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT: INTA ANNUAL MEETING 2020 HAS BEEN POSTPONED
We have had various requests from client and associates who wanted to meet us at INTA. As the organizers of INTA have decided to postpone the 2020 Annual Meeting (which was scheduled to be held in Singapore) due to the novel Coronavirus outbreak, we want to inform our clients and associates that we will be in touch to schedule meetings as soon as we have confirmation of the date and venue of the meeting. Should you however need to get in touch with us before the next INTA meeting, please contact John Wilson on advice@srilankalaw.com .
We hope to see you all soon!
Winner of the 2019 Trademark Firm of the Year Award
We are very proud to announce that John Wilson Partners received the 2019 Trademark Firm of the Year Award at the Asia IP Awards Ceremony in Malaysia. As we have been awarded the Patent Firm of the Year award for the past two years, the Trademark award was a welcome addition. The Asia IP Awards are awarded to top Patent and Trademark firms in the Asia-Pacific region each year.
This prestigious Awards Ceremony took place on the 8 November 2019 in Taipei which John Wilson, our Managing Partner attended. Due to work commitments, the Head of our IP Department at John Wilson Partners, Sameendra Perera, Attorney-at-Law and Benazir Hassan, Senior Associate were unable to attend the ceremony.
Should you require our assistance with any IP requirements, please visit our website at www.srilankalaw.com or contact us at ip@srilankalaw.com.
John Wilson Partners Celebrating our 100th Anniversary in 2020
Wishes all of our clients a very Prosperous 2020!
Japenese Foreign Dignatory visits John Wilson Partners
Mr. John Wilson had the privilege of hosting Mr. Hirofumi Tada of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who visited Sri Lanka in December 2019.
Mr. Wilson held discussions with Mr. Tada in respect of the Hague Convention Child Abduction and how these provisions have been dealt with in Sri Lanka under the implementing legislation which is “The Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction Act No. 10 of 2001”. Mr. Tada was on a familiarization mission to acquaint himself better with the situation in Sri Lanka and to establish personal contact with the relevant officials in the Sri Lankan Ministry of Justice.
John Wilson becomes a Member of CIArb
John Wilson, an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, (CIArb), attended one of CIArb’s Accelerated Route to Membership programmes for International Arbitration in August 2019 in Singapore. The programme involved numerous assessments and a three hour written examination which John successfully passed and John is now a Member of CIArb.
CIArb’s New Branch in Sri Lanka
John Wilson, Hon Secretary and a Director of CIArb, Sri Lanka, was pleased to welcome CIArb Director General Anthony Abrahams and more than 150 guests to the official launch of CIArb’s Sri Lanka Branch in Colombo in July. As the 40th CIArb Branch, it will support 114 members.
The launch was the culmination of a long process that started in February 2018, when the idea of a branch was first proposed.
The 70th Council Meeting of Asian Patent Attorney Association – Taipei, Taiwan
09th To 12th November 2019
John Wilson will be attending this meeting. The APAA 2019 will be an opportunity for all participants to explore a wide range of IP hot topics presented in committee meetings, workshops, and networking. Attendees will also be able to enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of Taiwan on a series of specially planned excursions to nearby Taipei Metropolis.
A message from the Hon. Secretary and a Director of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Sri Lanka) – John Wilson, Attorney-at-Law.
I met Anthony Abrahams, Director General of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators for the first time during his visit to Sri Lanka in February 2018. Anthony had convened a meeting of the members of CIArb from Sri Lanka. That meeting was joined by Francis Xavier who will be the President of CIArb next year. Francis, who is a fellow lawyer and officer of the IPBA, invited me to attend, as he knows of my enthusiasm for arbitration and ADR!
Anthony presented the idea of forming a branch in Sri Lanka to the members. The members present unanimously agreed to the proposal and a Steering Committee was formed comprising some of the members present.
In September 2018, Anthony returned to Sri Lanka and CIArb hosted a reception for the local members. Around 30 members attended.
At this gathering the members present were briefed on the progress in regard to the establishment of a branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in Sri Lanka.
Anthony invited Mr. Yuvanjan Wijayatilake, President’s Counsel, a former Attorney-General of Sri Lanka to be the Patron of the local branch.
In my role as Hon. Secretary of the Steering Committee I was responsible for attending to the incorporation of a company limited by guarantee. This proved not to be an easy task, since special permission from the relevant Ministry was required in order to use the country name ‘Sri Lanka’ as part of the name of the guarantee company. It was also necessary to obtain permission from the Registrar General of Companies to dispense with the word ‘Limited’ in the name of the company.
The guarantee company was incorporated on 23rd July 2019 and the members of the Steering Committee are the initial directors of the company.
Organizing a launch to which 150+ people were to be invited was no easy task. I was fortunate enough to be able to bring on board the European Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (“ECCSL”), of which I am a Director, to partner with the local branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Sri Lanka).
The ECCSL, under my direction, meticulously planned the launch which was hosted and paid for by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
The launch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Sri Lanka) was held on the 31st of July 2019 at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The event itself was well attended by dignitaries from across the board, including Hon. Thalatha Atukorale – the Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms, who accepted the invitation extended to her by our Patron. She was the Chief Guest at the launch.
Welcoming the gathering, I noted in my remarks the significance of the launch both for the branch and CIArb.
“Significant because the new corporate entity will provide the stable base at a practical level which is needed for the organisation of the training and professional development activities of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in Sri Lanka. The legal entity incorporated in Sri Lanka will adopt a strategic corporate plan which will result in more training and professional development events for all those involved in the sphere of Alternate Dispute Resolution.
Significant too for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, since the new corporate entity – the 40th CIArb branch in the world – provides the 114 or so members from Sri Lanka with a stable platform in Sri Lanka for the furthering of the aims of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, which I can summarise, as training, education and professional development.”
I invited His Excellency James Dauris – British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Ambassador to the Maldives to be the Guest of Honour and he addressed the gathering.
Anthony Abrahams – Director General of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators travelled to Sri Lanka for the launch and addressed the gathering. He explained what CIArb is all about. During Anthony’s visit, I organized several meetings which were productive and will provide lead ins for future training programs of the branch and as to the persons who would be interested.
The event received extensive media coverage and in addition to the invited members, we were fortunate to have with us members of the Judiciary, sitting Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the Parliamentary Ombudsman, officials from the Attorney General’s office, representatives from the private sector and in particular from the field of construction, quantity surveying, engineering and architecture.
The first training program arranged by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Sri Lanka) is scheduled to be held on the 15th of August 2019 at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo. All 40 available places on the course have been sold out and there is a waiting list! This is an excellent start and if this can be taken as indicative of the level of interest, this bodes well for the future activities of the branch.
It was a very long journey from the initial meeting in February 2018 to the launch. Eight large box files of correspondence and numerous meetings had, I am sure that the considerable time and effort invested by me and all involved, will be reflected in the quality of the training programs which the branch plans to present, with a view to uplifting standards of ADR in Sri Lanka.
I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank Anthony for his support and guidance throughout the whole process.
John Wilson
Hon. Secretary and a Director of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Sri Lanka)
32nd LAWASIA Conference 2019 – Hong Kong
05th To 08th November 2019
John Wilson will be attending this conference. The topic for discuss will be ‘Harmonisation through Synergy’. This conference is a platform for the convergence of bar leaders, jurists, professional organisations and individual lawyers from across the Asia Pacific. It serves as an important forum for sharing ideas, building professional networks, reinforcing shared professional values, advocating for the rule of law, and advancing the status of the legal profession in the Asia Pacific.
International Trademark Association (INTA) Asia Conference 2019 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
17th To 18th October 2019
John Wilson will be attending this conference. The topic for discussion will be ‘Brands in Changing Times’. We live in a world of constant change—from exponential technological growth that has changed the way consumers interact with brands to a growing social consciousness that has changed consumer norms and their expectations of the brands they buy and support. With the new global marketplace evolving at record speed, brands and their legal teams must also evolve.