OPPOSING THE TARIFF HIKE…
May 21, 2013
Supporting the token strike launched by opposition trade unions against the increase in electricity tariffs, a group of employees of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority today (21) engaged in a protest outside SLPA building. The protest was organized by the All Ceylon Ports General Workers’ Union. (Pic by Sanjeewa Lasantha)
WikiLeaks: JVP Electricity Strike Could Delay Reforms – US
May 22, 2013
“Unions affiliated with the Marxist- Nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party have warned of a strike and country-wide blackout on May 23 in protest of government moves to present electricity reforms to Parliament, which they fear would lead to privatization of the state electrical utility. However, the strike may be ineffective (i.e. unable to produce a blackout or force the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) to give in to union demands) as technical staff, including engineers, will not be joining the protest. Nonetheless, the government may delay the presentation of the reform bills in Parliament to give time for discussions which would appease technical unions, which want more time to study the bills. This is a first, albeit small, test of this Government’s willingness to stand up for needed reforms in the power and energy sector.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington. 
K.D.Lalkantha - Head of the JVP unions
The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database.The unclassified cable was written on May 19, 2006.
According to Mr. M.M.C. Ferdinando, Secretary, Ministry of Power and Energy, the government is determined to go ahead with the reforms. Speaking at a recent energy managers meeting organized by the PUC, he suggested that the government may refer the bills to a parliamentary consultative committee without directly presenting them to Parliament on May 23 as planned. According to Ferdinando, this decision may delay the parliamentary presentation to early June. It is not clear if this move would be taken due to JVP protests or due to complaints of inadequate time for consideration of the bills.
Placing a comment the Embassy wrote; Recently, the government has shown signs of moving reforms ahead in the electricity and energy sectors; the most important being the decision to procure a much delayed and much needed coal power plant. Last week, the President laid the foundation stone for a 300MW coal power plant, which will be built by the Chinese under a long- term concessionary loan. In April 2006 the government increased fuel prices, for the first time since June 2005, and is reportedly likely to do so again in the coming days. This may partially reduce government subsidies of fuel (though a recent analysis suggested that, with oil topping USD 70 per barrel, the Government may spend close to USD 2 billion on fuel subsidies in 2006). The GSL’s response to threats by the unions and decisions made surrounding the potential strike could be a harbinger of whether this government will stand for reform or cave in to union pressure on a variety of matters.
Sri Lanka opposition says government threatened to sack strikers
By Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal-
(Reuters) - Sri Lanka's opposition parties and trade unions accused the government on Tuesday of threatening state employees with the sack if they took part in planned street protests against a sharp rise in electricity prices.
Only a few hundred people joined the demonstrations, coordinated by the political opposition and trade unions, despite expectations of much larger crowds on the streets of Colombo.
The government rejected the accusations, saying that the planned walkout had simply failed.
Sri Lanka has more than 1.3 million state sector employees out of a total population of around 21 million people, and any strike by them could cripple the $59 billion economy.
Major trade union action, including extended strikes, have led to governments being toppled in the past.
"The government has threatened the trade unions and workers by saying they will be kicked out of their jobs," John Amaratunga, a legislator from the main opposition United National Party, told parliament.
Chandrasiri Mahagamage, secretary of the All Ceylon Port Common Workers Association which is part of the Trade Union Alliance, said a top official was at the main entrance to the port holding a camera to intimidate protesting workers.
"The (port) management threatened to fire employees who took part in today's trade union action," he said.
Most trade unions affiliated to the opposition in state-run companies object to the government's decision to raise domestic electricity prices by up to 59.4 percent. The price hike came into effect on April 20.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling coalition, which has more than a two-thirds majority in parliament including some lawmakers who defected from the opposition, has not faced mass protests since it came to power in 2005.
The government's Information Department said that 93.5 percent of public sector employees showed up for work on Tuesday, 3.5 percent higher than the average daily attendance.
"We have not interfered or threatened," Deputy Plantation Industries Minister Earl Gunasekara told reporters. "A strike will cripple normal day-to-day life, but today everything functioned even better than on a normal day."
(Reporting by Shihar Aneez; editing by Mike Collett-White)
