Working class supported Govt to crush LTTE

Sandasen MARASINGHE

Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardene stated on Monday that although political parties in the Opposition attempted to stop the operation against LTTE by urging Opposition’s friendly trade unions to strike and destabilize the government, the working people of this country supported the government by reporting to work ultimately destroying the Opposition’s evil objectives. The Minister made this observation at a convention organized by 64 trade union federations at the Public Library auditorium at the instance of trade union leader and Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana to express their support to guarantee Minister Gunawardene’s victory at the upcoming general election.

Stating that the support of the working people of this country to eliminate terrorism was commendable, Minister Gunawardene said that it was the working people who took themselves to the streets in protest against the local and foreign conspiracies to halt the operations against terrorism.

Referring to the pledges of the UNP, the minister said that although they talked of democracy and the rights of the working people it was the UNP that sacked 85,000 government employees when they demanded a salary increment peacefully and attempted to privatize government institutions.

He said that the present government had not done so and took over certain main institutions that were privatized by the UNP government.

He also said that during the UNP government Ranil Wickremesinghe attempted to privatize the CTB, to increase the working week for six days and to abolish the pensions of government employees.