Social Protection for Unskilled Migrant Workers in Sri Lanka (eBook)

This book is about the social protection of lower-skilled migrants from Sri Lanka. It reasons out the importance of protecting Sri Lankan migrant workers considering the significant economic contribution of lower-skilled migrant workers and their higher level of exposure to risks at all stages of international migration: pre-departure, on the job, and after returnee reintegration.

The book explores social protection programmes for low-skilled immigrants from three perspectives: legal aspects, national policies, and programmes. The chapter on legal background for protecting migrant workers focuses on declarations and on labour laws on the national and international level. Policies and programmes identify national level labour policies and other related policies that apply to migrant workers, as well as available social protection programmes for Sri Lankan migrant workers. In turn, the solutions for minimizing the related risks faced by Sri Lankan migrant workers. Highlighting the economic contribution of migrant workers and their vulnerability at all stages of migration, this book offers a timely and important contribution for policy makers and practitioners as well as scholars of migration studies, public policy and related fields. 

M.M. Gunatilake is a Professor in the Department of Economics and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kelaniya and his Master of Arts from the University of Sri Jayawardhanapura, Sri Lanka. He was awarded a Commonwealth Split-site Doctoral Scholarship to read for the Ph.D. degree at the Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.