TU alliance threatens to cripple all sectors
All bark and no bite – govt.
by Dasun Edirisinghe-May 20, 2013, 10:08 pm
The trade union alliance which has organised today’s token strike against electricity tariff hike is confident of crippling the public, semi–government and private sectors. However the government yesterday said it was confident that the strike would be a flop.
Co–Convener of the Co–ordinating Committee, for the Trade Union Alliance (CCTUA), Wasantha Samarasinghe said that 941 trade unions had expressed their support for today’s strike. General Secretary of the Ceylon Mercantile Union, Industrial and General Workers’ Union Bala Tampoe and President of the United Federation of Labour, Linus Jayathilaka, too, had pledged their full support for the trade union action, he said.
Even trade unions attached to the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and Communist Party would join the strike, Samarasinghe said, claiming that all attempts to sabotage the strike had failed.
"Workers will stage protests while keeping off work throughout the day," Samarasinghe said, adding that the main protests would be held at Belek Kade Junction, Ratmalana, Nugegoda and opposite the Khan Clock Tower near the Colombo Port.
The former JVP MP said that 15 opposition political parties, including the UNP, the JVP the and TNA would take part in the strike.
Asked whether the striking public servants could be sacked or interdicted for disregarding government circulars that had cancelled leave on May 21, Samarasinghe said that the strike was legal according to the Constitution.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) had pledged its full support to the strike and if any worker faced harassment from the government, due to his or her participation in the strike, that association would give them legal assistance, Samarasinghe said.
"Our member unions will meet tomorrow (22) to discuss future action, if the government does not respond to our main demand for the total withdrawal of the electricity tariff hike," he said.
When contacted by The Island, Media Spokesman of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Dr. Naveen Zoysa said his association would not support today’s strike.
Although nursing and health workers’ unions, attached to the JVP, have pledged their support to the strike, the largest nurses union, Public Service United Nurses Union (PSUNU), led by Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda thera, said that their members in hospitals countrywide would not support the strike and would continue their service as usual.
While All Ceylon General Ports Employees’ Union and All Ceylon Private Container Transport Employees’ Union vowed to stop all services in the port, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) said there was no danger of a shut down.
SLPA Chairman Dr. Priyath B. Wickrema told The Island that no union could stop services inside the port today but he was aware of an outside picketing to be held during the lunch hour.
Secretary of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) Dr. Rohan Fernando told The Island that teachers of the Colombo, Sri Jayewardenepura, Visual and Performing Arts and Open Universities will stage a picket at Nugegoda and teachers from Kelaniya, Peradeniya, Ruhuna, Wayamba and Sabaragamuwa universities would stage demonstrations opposite their respective universities from 11.00 a.m. to 12 noon.
Dr. Fernando said examinations would be conducted as scheduled, but lectures would not be held.
When contacted by The Island, Minister Dallas Alahapperuma said that though the UNP and the JVP had held media shows in Colombo, they could not fool the people countrywide.
He said that the failure of yesterday’s private bus strike was an indication that the people were with the government and the workforce was against crippling the country.
Alahapperuma said that this so-called strike too would go down in history as another failure of the UNP-JVP alliance. He said it was a case of all bark and no bite.
