Trade unions in Sri Lanka now following different ways on forth coming token strike

A number of trade unions in Sri Lanka now following different ways on forth coming token strike led by the United National Party and the JVP.

Most of trade unions have disclosed their support while a few trade unions but still they have strong TU power said they would not be involved this strike due to number of reasons.

Rev.Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero, Chairman of the local Nurses Association has already decided to not to support the forthcoming strike and he said it is not suitable when the country faces a severe threat of terrorism. However opposition back trade unions are now assisting their members to attend the token strike.

Meanwhile the Chairman of the National Trade Union Centre (NTUC), K.D. Lal Kantha said that their demands should be fulfilled in order to cancel the island-wide strike campaign scheduled for July 10th.

He said unlike the protest during the J.R. Jayewardene era, electricity supply and bus services will come to a complete halt on July 10th. If attempts are made to obstruct this action, we will decide to continue this strike.

"This is only a token strike. If the demands are not met, we will move on to the next step," he added.

"To stop the strike campaign, the government only has to increase public servant's salaries by Rs. 5,000 and to agree to the reductions. There is no other way, he said.

Meanwhile General Secretary of the Trade Union Consolidation, Saman Rathnapriya said a media briefing that the protest demonstration would start from in front of the Health Ministry at noon on July 10th.

However some Trade union leaders emphasise that the proposed trade union action for the 10th of this month is completely unreasonable. They say it is apparent that the strike action is politically motivated. General Secretary of the Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya Lesley Devendra says no trade union has requested for a postponement of the provincial council election and the 17th constitutional amendment instead of the five thousand rupee salary increase. Speaking at a press briefing held at the Mahaweli Centre he pointed out that the strike action needs to be called off since a good salary will be granted through the salary commission and the next budget.

Chairman of Public Services Trade Union Federation W.H. Piyadasa said a picketing will be held in front of the Fort Railway Station on the 9th of this month against the proposed strike action. General Secretary of Ceylon Workers’ Society Media Council Somaweera Chandrasiri requests all concerned to refrain from creating an environment for LTTE terrorists to explode bombs.

He added that any issue of the working masses would be redressed by the President.

JVP Central Committee member and Kegalle District leader at the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Election Mahinda Jayasinghe said a one day strike would neither reverse the gains of the security forces nor send the inflation up. If so, how were military operations carried out on holidays? The government was floating such stories to sabotage the July 10 strike, but it would take place as scheduled, . He said trade unions had announced the date of the strike one and a half month back and government should have granted their demands and avoided trouble.

The National Trade Union Centre (NTUC), which is the umbrella organisation of 366 trade unions, demands a five-thousand-rupee salary hike, retention of Rs. 2. 50 cost of living allowance and an immediate reduction in bus and train fares.

He said the inflation rate stood at 28.2 per cent at the end of last month, though there had been no strike during that period. The government’s claim that increases in inflation rate were due to strikes was therefore false, he said.

Jayasinghe, who is the General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Service Union (CTSU), said teachers would cripple government schools throughout the country on July 10 as part of the strike. He said the union had already prepared the principals and teachers for the strike.

He invited trade unions of all hues to join the July 10 strike. "The NTUC is not a JVP’s trade union centre. It has only 85 JVP led trade unions out of 366," he said.