UNP, SLFP, JO rallies are mere political rallies: Ceylon Mercantile Union

The General Secretary of Ceylon Mercantile Union (CMU) Sylvester Jayakody who was appointed to the post after the oldest trade unionist Bala Thampoe, said the rallies organised by the SLFP, UNP and the Joint Opposition on May Day, are not ‘May Day’ rallies. He said there will be no representation of the real working class but only by members of those political parties brought in buses to their rallies.

“Neither this government nor the former government did any good for the working class. They only use the May Day rallies to fulfill their cheap political ambitions. It is also a responsibility of the people to realise their power and refrain from pursuing money or other benefits.

At present, I think the people should stand against political agendas and raise voices to establish their rights. Any politician who is set to speak touchingly on May Day of workers’ rights, has not spoken a single word in Parliament about the working class,”

“I would like to recall what our veteran trade unionist Bala Thampoe once said: ‘This is paradise of fools because fools vote for politicians to form a government and later start blaming them for not ruling the country as promised before the elections.

They are fooled again by statements made by politicians before the next election and vote for the same politicians who failed to do any good for the people,”“the current reality is that workers’ wages are not enough to lead a comfortable life. That means over-time work as a result of which they spend less time with their families causing long-term problems. Speeches politicians make at May Day rallies should be about answers to the problems of workers; May Days are meant for that. However, the May Day celebrations and speeches made at May Day rallies will be irrelevant until they are put into practice to facilitate the real working class of the country.