report in The Island, Mar 1, 2023
Public sector trade unions yesterday (28) vowed to go ahead with their one-day strike scheduled for today (01) to pressure the government to reverse new tax regime.
Spokesperson for the trade union collective, Ranjan Jayalal, told The Island that workers in sectors such as petroleum, electricity, ports, water supply and drainage, health, education, banking would join the strike.
Jayalal said that the issuance of an extraordinary gazette Monday (27) night declaring several sectors as essential services with immediate effect would not deter them.
The President’s Media Division (PMD) said that all services for passengers or goods, discharge, carriage, landing, storage, delivery and removal of articles of food or drink, or coal, oil, fuel from vessels within any port had been declared essential services.
The provision and maintenance of facilities for transport services by road, rail or air including roads, bridges, culverts, airports, ports and railway lines, too have been categorised under the essential services.
Declaring that the private sector, too, would join the strike, the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) said that the recent talks a group of professionals had with President Wickremesinghe revealed the government’s determination to go ahead with the new tax regime.
GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge has, in a statement issued after an emergency meeting of their decision making body, warned that if the government ignored March 1 strike the trade union grouping would be compelled cripple the country anytime one week after today’s trade action.
The University Executive Officers’ Association, too, yesterday pledged its support for today’s strike. However, Gemunu Wijeratne speaking on behalf of a section of private bus operators said that they would maintain services.
Ananda Palitha, senior SJB trade union representative, said that they had the full backing of the Opposition. “We’ll gradually step up campaign leading to total crippling of the public sector by mid-next week,” Palitha told The Island.
https://island.lk/unions-determined-to-go-ahead-with-strike-despite-essential-services-gazette/
