Gintota Plywood Manufacturers (Pvt) Limited vs Upali Wijeweera – CASE NO.685/2010-2013

In the case between Gintota Plywood Manufacturers (Pvt) Limited (Plaintiff) and Upali Wijeweera, Commissioner of Labour, H.R.L. Sugathadasa, Assistant Commissioner of Labour, and A.N.W. Perera, Deputy Commissioner of Labour (Defendants), the court addressed the issue of whether employees of Gintota Plywood Manufacturers (Pvt) Limited should be classified under the “engineering trade” for wage determination under the Wages Board Ordinance. The holding established that classification of the company’s employees as machinists (wood working) under the engineering trade was appropriate, and a separate Wages Board for plywood manufacturing was not required. The principle reaffirmed that statutory interpretation and regulatory definitions under the Wages Board Ordinance govern employee classificat