May Day:

Huge crowds expected

Lakshmi DE SILVA and Chamikara WEERASINGHE

With peace reigning after the defeat of terrorism the working people will celebrate this year’s May Day on a grand sale.

The biggest ever May Day rally organized by the United People’s Freedom Alliance will be held at the Town Hall Grounds tomorrow as there is a great enthusiasm among the constituent parties of the UPFA.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will preside over the rally with leaders of the constituent parties also attending it.

The May Day themes of the UPFA this year are “power to the workplace, dynamism to the factory, peace to the motherland,” government spokesman Youth Affairs and Employment Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said.

He said since the country is now free of terrorism the working class can now demonstrate their power. All parties in the alliance will be taking part with large crowds from the outstations attending the rally, UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha said.

There will be several May Day rallies in Colombo and the outstations organized by the UPFA as well as by several trade unions. Larger crowds are expected at the venues of the May Day events this year with sufficient police personnel deployed to direct traffic.

Around 70 trade unions affiliated to UPFA trade union federation including SLFP trade unions will join the main rally at Town Hall grounds and May Day decorations will be done by the trade unions.

The left political parties, CP, LSSP and Desha Vimukti Janata Party and the United Left Front trade unions will hold a procession starting at the Shalika Grounds, Narahenpita to the Kirulapone public grounds for the rally, senior trade union leader W.H.Piyadasa said.

Nawa Sama Samaja Party (NSSP)leader Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratna said their May day procession will start opposite the Fort Railway Station and they will march to Hyde Park, where they plan to hold their rally.

NSSP will also urge the Government to ensure a minimum salary of Rs. 500 per day to every worker, he added.

The UNP will concentrate on religious observances this year too and they will not hold a rally since it was after the general election, UNP spokesman Gayantha Karunatilaka said. The Ceylon Workers Congress will hold its May Day rally at Talawakelle presided over by CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman and other senior members of the CWC.

The JVP May Day rally will be held at Campbell Park, Borella with the participation of the members and trade unions, JVP parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayaka said. The Ceylon Labour Union will meet opposite the A.E. Goonesinha statue, Keselwatte where floral tributes to Labour leader Goonesinha will be made.

The United Socialist Party rally will start at Oruguodawatta Junction and the 1980 July strikers will hold their May Day meeting at the Public Library Auditorium, Colombo.

Trade Union Confederation (TUC) said they will hold their May Day rally at P.D. Sirisena grounds at 3 pm.

The workers and TU members of the 12 trade unions represented in the TUC, has organized a May Day Procession from private bus stand at Bastion Mawatha, Pettah. The march will commence at 1.30 p.m.

The Ceylon Mercantile Union and the Ceylon Bank Employees Union will jointly come in procession to Hyde Park for their rally. The Christian Workers Fellowship will hold the May Day mass at St. Michael’s Church with the participation of clergy of all religions and trade union representatives.

The Left Liberation Front will hold a rally opposite the Colombo Fort Railway Station and the Socialist Equality Party will hold its rally at the New Town Hall, Colombo.