Lanka Electricity Company (Private) Ltd vs. The Commissioner General of Labour and others – CA WRIT 322/2018-2023

In the case between Lanka Electricity Company (Private) Ltd. (Petitioner) and officials including the Commissioner General of Labour, Assistant Commissioner of Labour, Labour Officers, and associated respondent employees, the court addressed whether store assistants at customer service centres were governed by the Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act (SOE Act), the legality of their working hours, and the validity of overtime payment directives issued by labour authorities. It was established that the employees fall within the ambit of the SOE Act and that the directives regarding overtime payments for work exceeding statutory hours were lawful. The court reaffirmed the applicability of statutory protections and proper overtime compensation, referencing