Empire Bakery Stores and Cafe (Private) Ltd vs. V.B.P.K. Weerasinghe, Commissioner General of Labour, Department of Labour, Colombo – CA WRIT APPLICATION NO. 313/2012-2015

In the case between Empire Bakery Stores and Cafe (Private) Ltd. and V.B.P.K. Weerasinghe (Commissioner General of Labour) with certain former employees, the court considered the issue of employer liability for compensation under the Termination of Employment (Special Provisions) Act No. 45 of 1971. It was held that the petitioner was obligated to pay compensation to the terminated employees, as the business had more than 15 employees at the relevant time and proper statutory procedures for termination—including obtaining permission from the Commissioner of Labour—had not been followed. The court reaffirmed the principle that compliance with employment termination provisions is mandatory for entities employing more than 15 persons. Reliance was placed on evidence from employee records, com