Unions ready for intense protests on taxes and livelihood issues
Trade unions will meet in the next few days to decide on extending their protest campaigns amid mixed reactions among its membership and calls by the Government not to disrupt services.
Trade unions this week held a string of protests campaigns including at lunch hour. Some stayed away from work. Some wore black attire to work and others worked to rule.
However, most establishments including essential services of supply of fuel, electricity and transport continued without large scale disruptions.
Estimates of public sector attendance varied from 20% to 50% in the provinces. Participation in the provinces such as the Uva, Eastern and central provinces was low at between 19% and 25%, while the participation was high in the Western and Southern provinces at about 50%.
The protest campaign initially called to demand the Government to reduce taxes and was later extended to call for local government elections to be held on time, to reduce electricity tariffs, and to bring down the cost of living.
Teachers and school principal unions carried out black band and black attire campaigns.
We don't need a Government if leaders ask unions to discuss with the International Monetary Fund and obtain PAYE tax relief. The Government claims that it is abiding by IMF conditions. That is not what should happen. The Government should state the country's situation and provide relief, while maintaining transparent negotiations with the IMF. It should be flexible with the unions.’’
The health sector employees also protested, while the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) confined the campaign to a protest during lunch hour. Some railway trade unions went on strike and disrupted rail services.
Some of the state banks took part and were closed for business.
GMOA spokesman, Chamil Wijesinghe said the doctors met with the professionals’ trade union alliance on Friday to discuss further action.
It was decided to include more unions representing state and private sectors and to go ahead with strong trade union action.
“We would be having a final meeting with the stakeholders of the Professionals Trade Union Alliance on Tuesday,” he said.
The GMOA favours strong union action after March 8.
“We call on the government to provide relief on the taxes imposed recently, there should be concessions given under the PAYE tax,” he said.
Unions such as Ceylon Electricity Board engineers union, Colombo port unions, even the Federations of University Teachers Associations, school principals and teachers carried out separate union actions.
The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) said island-wide protests are planned for Thursday.
Union joint secretary, Buddhika Wijewardena told the Sunday Times that meetings had been held with the GMOA, and bank unions, and a decision has been taken on strike action from March 8.
Meetings will also be held with non-professional trade unions of the Water Supply Board, Ceylon Electricity Board, as well as the unions representing the port, and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. Talks will be held on Tuesday, with the non-professional trade unions.
“We would carry out a series of trade union actions leading to an indefinite strike if our demands are not met,’’ he said.
Mr Wijewardena said the union is not concerned about a warning by the minister.
The Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera has warned CEB unions that the attendance on Wednesday would be taken into consideration in restructuring the CEB. He said about 40% of the staff had reported sick, or were absent on Wednesday.
The highest absenteeism was in the corporate strategy section where 67.9%, or 87 out of 128 staff were absent. The total number absent was 39.9%, or 8,940 out of 22,460 staff.
Even the non-professional trade unions, too, are protesting. They claim that the taxes add to their burdens.
All the state port employees will join the union action, said the president of the Sri Lanka Freedom party trade union at the port, Prasanna Kalutarage.
Mr Kalutarage said that since President Wickremesinghe had not given them an acceptable solution, stronger union action will be taken. He said that the president had not arranged a discussion between the Treasury and representatives of the 40 unions planning the strike.
“We don't need a Government if leaders ask unions to discuss with the International Monetary Fund and obtain PAYE tax relief. The Government claims that it is abiding by IMF conditions. That is not what should happen. The Government should state the country's situation and provide relief, while maintaining transparent negotiations with the IMF. It should be flexible with the unions.’’
The Ceylon Teachers Union’s general secretary, Joseph Stalin said that the teacher and principal unions will meet Sunday. “We only used black bands and black attire during this week’s protest.’’
The union is demanding a salary increase and an interim allowance until such time teacher salaries are revised upwards.
Some unions which are not directly affected by the PAYE tax increase also extended their support.
The general secretary of the Dumriya Kamkaru Ekathuwa, W.S Nandimal Silva, told the Sunday Times the union will join the protest against the taxes.
The union will also demand local elections and will protest against the suppression of protesters by the military.
State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyabalapitiya said, the PAYE tax is charged from only 2.6% of the total workforce of 4.64 million, while the Treasury is struggling to generate the Rs. 100 billion estimated revenue from the tax.