Leading Trade Unions lash out:

Protests about politics not ‘light bills’

*A godsend for NGOs to fill their depleted coffers

*Only helping forces hostile to SL

Sandasen Marasinghe

Leading Trade Unions yesterday accused opposition political parties for attempting to promote their political agendas in the guise of protesting against the electricity tariff hike.

Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya Secretary Ranjith Hettiarachchi told a press conference that the objective of the JVP and other parties organising trade union action is not to reduce electricity bills, but to gain political mileage and ‘create an environment for forces hostile to Sri Lanka including NGOs to reverse the post-conflict gains achieved by the country.’

He said NGOs that have run short of foreign funds too find this situation an ideal opportunity to ensure the flow of foreign donations.

Hettiarchchi said the members of the Joint Organisation of Trade Unions would not allow these sinister forced to achieve their vile objective.

Members of the Joint Organisation of Trade Unions yesterday stated unanimously that none of them would take part in the trade union action organised by elements attempting to divide the CEB since such action is nothing but a conspiracy to ‘reverse the victory over terrorism and the country’s development drive, hatched with the backing of dollar rich local NGOs and bankrupt political parties.’

They stressed that the agenda behind the strike was to reverse the gains achieved by the country with the defeat of terrorism.

The press briefing at the SLFI was attended by leaders of the country’s leading trade unions. Presidents and Secretaries of the Inter Company Employees’ Union, Sri Lanka Nidahas Employees Union, Public Service Trade Union Federation, Sri Lanka Nidahas Teachers’ Union, Sri Lanka Nidahas Transport Employees’ Union, Public Family Health Employees’ Union, Independent Omni Bus Owners’ Union, Sri Lanka Nidahas Estate Sector Employees Union etc were present at the briefing.

Hettiarachchi said a one day or protracted trade union action is not the solution to tackle the increase in the power tariffs.

He said the whole world was facing a power crisis.

Hettiarachchi said such trade union action could even worsen the crisis. He said it was during the JR regime, electricity was bought from the private sector for the first time. During the Premadasa regime there were long duration power cuts.

“Under the Chandrika regime, a solution to the power crisis was attempted by means of turning the clock back by 30 minutes. During the period, when Karu Jayasuriya was the Power and Energy Minister, they planned to divide the CEB into eight parts and hand over them to the private sector.”

Hettiarachchi said the government had to take the present move since the banks faced a financial crisis due to the loans that they had provided to the CEB. He said the JVP has joined forces with those who attempted to sell the CEB and are protesting.

“Their protest is not aimed at reducing the electricity bills The intelligent employees will never allow these bankrupt political parties to make use of them to achieve their political ends.”

Inter Company Employees’ Union General Secretary S Amarasinghe, Public Service Trade Union Federation Secretary General Jayathilake Pathirana, Sri Lanka Nidahas Teachers’ Union President Wasantha Handapangoda, Public Family Health Employees’ Union Secretary Devika Kodituwakku, Independent Omni Bus Owners’ Union Secretary Lal Pathirana and Sri Lanka Nidahas Estate Sector Employees Union Secretary A G Chandrasena also spoke.