Sunil Sirimanne vs. Brave Guard Security and Investigations Services – SC/APPEAL/131/2019-2024

In the case between Sunil Sirimanne (applicant/employee) and the Manager, Brave Guard Security and Investigations Services, along with the Deputy Chief Security Officer, Bank of Ceylon, Kalutara Branch (respondents), the Supreme Court addressed whether the applicant’s termination from employment was unlawful and whether the correct employer had been identified under the Industrial Disputes Act. The court held that the orders of the Labour Tribunal and the High Court had not erred in their handling of preliminary matters relating to the employment relationship and application of relevant tests to determine the existence of such relationship. It was established that the definitions and scope provided by the Industrial Disputes Act are comprehensive, and common law tests (such as the control,