Ceylon Workers' Alliance to support Premier

by Rohan Mathes

The Ceylon Workers' Alliance (CWA) pledges to support Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse at the coming Presidential Election.

Calling a press conference at the Holiday Inn yesterday, CWA General Secretary S. Sathasivam told journalists that consequent to the discussions they had with the Premier Mahinda Rajapakse at Temple Trees yesterday, it was the candid view of the CWA that important issues pertaining to the Estate Tamil community being addressed to, by incorporating them in the UPFA manifesto, they will be supporting the Presidential candidature of Mahinda Rajapakse.

Sathasivam said, "although a written agreement was not inked and exchanged between us, nonetheless there is a firm binding between us, based on a mutual understanding and trust."

Elaborating on their proposals to Mahinda Rajapakse, Sathasivam said that the arbitrary arrests and detention of the Tamils should be stopped. The educational standards of Indian origin children should be uplifted with facilities for higher education, vocational training among others.

The appointments of adequate teachers and the establishment of a University for the hill country was proposed. The need for primary eduction too was stressed.

Due to rampant malnutrition in the Plantation sector, the provision of a mid-day meal had been requested for school children.

In addition to the subsidy offered to flour, due consideration should be given to the rising cost of living, which aggravated the already poor living standards of the estate community. Immediate steps should be taken to re-negotiate the workers' Joint Collective Agreement between some trade unions and the Ceylon Employers' Federation, in this regard.

The appalling health conditions now prevailing in the plantations sector should be re-examined and steps taken to enhance infrastructural facilities, and hospitals provided with Tamil speaking nurses.

The Tamil official language policy should be implemented and Tamil Grama Sevakas should be appointed to Tamil speaking districts.

The Tamil speaking Divisional Secretaries and Assistant Divisional Secretaries should be manned by Tamil officers.

Adequate and proper housing and loan facilities for the same, should be provided for the estate workers, instead of the 'linerooms', which create a host of social problems.

An environment in which the Tamil speaking people could live with dignity and honour, in par with the other communities, should be created.

The Presidential hopeful Mahinda Rajapakse had pledged to consider all these proposals hitherto and incorporate a separate chapter on the rights of the estate community, in his election manifests, Sathasivam added.