Regular strikes causing chaos: Lessons from Iron Lady
Just when one has to condemn doctors going on strike holding the general public hostage, the railway men decide to act – like doctors. The fact that railway men struck work only days after a rail ‘accident’ due to their negligence causing grievous hurt to passengers is an irony. That irate commuters were prepared to assault the train drivers and hurt them during the strike is not an irony; it is a very real trend that might lead to civil commotion in time to come. Police paramilitary units were brought in to maintain the peace this week.
These frequent strikes can easily snowball into complete chaos. The Government seems unable to stem rising labour unrest. Backroom negotiations seem non-existent. Where on earth is the Minister of Labour in a Government of 92 Cabinet, State and Deputy Ministers?
There is a creepy feeling in the country that the Government is weak and with elections looming, that this is the time – to strike. The trend can extend to other sectors of the public service. That is why trade unionists resist privatisation; their strength is in the numbers within the essential services of the country.
Government leaders might want to take a leaf from the way one-time British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dealt with a year-long, left-wing strike which she said undermined her electoral victory of 1985. That strike crippled the British economy with dock workers, lorry drivers, miners and railwaymen, all on strike. British cities were stinking with uncollected garbage. There was violence at the picket lines during clashes with the police.
In her autobiography, Mrs. Thatcher writes of “Mr. Arthur Scargill’s Insurrection”, referring to the President of the National Union of Mine Workers and the strikes that also included British Rail. She wrote: “So much was at stake that no responsible Government could take a ‘hands-off’ attitude… I tried to combine respect for their freedom with clear signals as to what would, or would not be financially and politically acceptable”. Her tough action earned her the moniker ‘The Iron Lady’, thereafter. Even earlier, in Sri Lanka, President J.R. Jayewardene dealt a severe blow to trade unions, later known as the ‘July ’80 strikers’. Very often these strikes have political undercurrents far beyond the economic sphere.
The Government is clearly facing a financial crunch. In such circumstances, calls for higher wages seem unreasonable. The foreign reserves of the country are dwindling by the day, merely to prop up the rupee vis-a-vis the US dollar. The Prime Minister has warned that oil prices in the world market could rise once US sanctions against Iran kick in. The Central Bank has turned to the Chinese People’s Bank for ‘Panda bonds’ raising USD 250 million and negotiating for a further USD one billion syndicated loan from the Chinese Development Bank for its massive debt servicing, part of it to repay for the Hambantota port. It seems like borrowing from Ching to pay Chang.
And yet, the demands of the trade unionists sound justifiable on the other hand when the Government is on an expenditure binge. With all sorts of infrastructure projects called developments projects under the banners ‘Gamperaliya’ (UNP) and ‘Grama Shakthi’ (SLFP) with elections looming. With MPs to be given some extra ‘spending money’ euphemistically for ‘development work in their electorates’, for their political survival, it is difficult for the Government to argue it has no money to pay the workers. Also not to be forgotten by the public is the fact that MPs were allowed to make millions by selling their duty-free car permits.
The wrath of the people on the striking workers can easily rebound on the Government.