Nearly 80 TU leaders pledge support to Govt

Nuwan Kodikara

Leaders of nearly 80 trade unions covering a wide range of sectors including education, health, agriculture and petroleum yesterday pledged their support to strengthen the Government’s hands and defeat the conspiracies hatched by certain quarters to belittle the war victory and embarrass the Government.

They made this pledge when they met President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees to discuss certain outstanding issues.

The Trade Union leaders said that even though there were certain outstanding issues at trade union level certain trade unions had joined conspiracies planned by some with vested interests to create anarchy in the country which had been liberated from terrorism.

As such their priority at this stage was to safeguard the victories achieved by the Nation, the Trade Union leaders asserted.

They also pointed out that when the country was blessed with a leadership sensitive to the problems of the workers, the negative attitude shown by certain trade unions to join negotiations proved that they were inclined towards a program of sabotage.

They said no other country had been able to undertake development work concurrently while fighting a protracted war. President Rajapaksa had been the only leader who had been able to accomplish both tasks with equal aplomb.

The Trade Union leaders who also noted that they were able to meet the President and resolve many outstanding issues before the tabling of the previous budget thanked the President for offering an opportunity to meet him this time too. The union leaders also requested the President to take steps to redress current salary anomalies of workers by granting due increments, eliminate corruption in State institutions, fill existing vacancies and implement projects that give due place to local products.

Ministers Dinesh Gunawardena, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, A.H.M. Fowzie, Dullas Alahapperuma, Geethanjana Gunawardena, Chandrasiri Gajadheera, Mervyn Silva and Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana, Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera and Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra were among those who participated in the discussions.