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Thwarting Strike

Record attendance at Environment Ministry

The Environment and Natural Resources Ministry has announced that it has registered better worker attendance yesterday than on any other day.

The Ministry said that 97.83 per cent of the workers reported to duty inspite of the strike action. Ministry’s Secretary M. A. R. D. Jayathilaka said, there are 7420 persons working at various departments and institutions of the Ministry and of them only 161 persons have not reported for duty.

The attendance percentage on a normal day is 90 to 91 per cent, he said. “Hence this is by far the record attendance, with 98 per cent of the worker reporting for duty,” he said.


Strike a damp squib

The one day token strike launched by the JVP yesterday turned out to be a damp squib in Kandy.

There was no disruption in the transport services. A spokesman for Kandy Railway station said that all trains both long distance and short distance including the inter city trains operated as usual. The attendance of workers was good.

The state bus services of the Mahanuwara Bus Company Limited which includes Kandy South Depot, Kandy North Depot and Yatinuwara Depot operated normal services including the school services.

The private bus services also operated normal services though fewer buses were seen on the roads in the early hours.

The schools functioned as usual though there was a drop in attendance, with the parents taking a precautionary measure. Divisional Superintendent of Posts, Kandy, said that the postal services were normal.

There was a good attendance of staff and normal delivery of letters were effected with the postmen and the messengers going on their rounds.

But the people seen in the town was less than in other days in the morning but normal business activities went on. Government offices also functioned as usual.

An officer who wished to remain anonymous said that strikes are not the need of the hour. Strikes have a crippling effect on the economy. What is required is to increase production which will help the employers to give more benefits and facilities to their employees.


Normality prevails in estate areas

Plantation workers on a number of estates have struck work, according to estate managements.

The prevailing price hike of essential items of which they claim were the most affected due to the fact they continue to be daily paid workers. The managements of estates say they kept away from work despite the major unions including the CWC’s appeal not to participate in yesterday’s strike.

The police intensified security arrangements in the estates and there was no incidents reported, although 40 per cent of the estates, workers have reported for work. Meanwhile, in all other sectors including the transport normality prevailed in the entire district.


Strike, a total failure - NFF

The July 10th strike jointly engineered by the pro JVP and UNP trade unions along with the ‘Leftist Peace’ trade unions has been a total failure, states a national Freedom Front press release.

Organisers failed at least to cripple such public utility services as transport, electricity, petroleum, health and port. The Tamil National Alliance too supported the strike.

Right from the beginning though we supported the demand for salary increases, the people as well as the workers suspected a sinister and conspirational force active behind the strike.

So the country’s workforce who were committed to the overthrow of separatist terrorism did not support the strike, the NFF said.


JVP, UNP strike:

No impact on hospital, transport services

All medical, paramedical and other staff had reported for duty in the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital, according to hospital director, Dr. Sarath Weerabandara.

The strike had no impact on the hospital services and arrangements had been made to meet any emergencies. Staff in all hospitals were readily available to attend to any war casualties, it was reported.

Meanwhile, all city and long distance bus services were operated as usual despite the JVP sponsored strike, according to the Raja Rata Bus Company. Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kebitigollewa, Dambulla, Kekirawa and Horowpatana depots ran its full fleet, it is reported. All drivers, conductors and other staff had reported for duty.


Strike most unsuccessful in history

The strike action summoned by the JVP jointly with the UNP is an utter failure and a highly futile attempt, said former Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake.

Speaking to the Daily News the former Chief Minister said Ranil Wickremesinghe and his group joined by the JVP Parliamentarian Lal Kantha and his colleagues have become humiliated and helpless in the presence of the working class.

The token strike the JVP endeavoured to stage using their traditional rhetoric and boasting underestimated the real mentality of the Government and private sector employees being supported by UNP is a real mockery, one of the most unsuccessfully strikes in the country’s history,” Berty Premalal stressed further.

The former Chief Minister and the SLFP Chief Ministerial candidate for North Central Provincial Council thanked all categories of Government and private sector employees who didn’t heed to the politically motivated requests by the JVP and UNP to join the strike at a time our war heroes were successfully proceeding in their forward march to eradicate LTTE terrorism.


Polonnaruwa district normal despite strike

Normal services were maintained in all Government Departments and Hospitals in the Polonnaruwa District despite the strike, states Polonnaruwa District Secretary Ranjith Wijetilleke. Although some sections of teachers and hospital employees struck work, services continued uninterruptedly.


Strike fails to halt Matara

In Matara district the strike staged by National Trade Union Centre (NTUC) was a total failure, according to Police.

Attendance in state and private institutions remained normal and public transport services in all the routes in Matara district were operated as usually, the depot managers of CTB and private bus operators union in Matara reported.

The schools, hospitals, state and private banks in the district functioned smoothly.

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