- 'WORKING CLASS BETRAYAL'
- 366 UNIONS CONVERGE
Trade unions are threatening to launch a massive protest against the government by paralysing essential services during the budget debate. This is to protest against the government ignoring the working class at the fourth budget.
Over 366 unions of the private, public and estate workers will meet in Colombo tomorrow (10) to discuss how to organise an islandwide protest campaign in the coming weeks. The President of the National Trade Union Centre MP Lal Kantha said that he had submitted a written request to the President to increase wages of public servants by Rs 5000 and increase the minimum wage of estate worers to Rs 500, ‘but theworking class has been badly let down in the budget’ .
He also said that after the islandwide token strike launched by these trade unions last July 10, the President promised a wage increase to the working class in this year’s budget. He charged that instead, the government had deceived the working class by increasing wages by Rs 1000 and not by Rs 5000 as promised earlier. He also charged that 6 million private sector workers and 700,000 estate sector workers were completely ignored in this budget.He said that they will make the decisions regarding their planned campaign to win the rights of the working class and to obtain a wage increase at tomorrow’s strategy meeting
lakbimanews
