Striking at the economy
'Work harder for your larder' ought to be the slogan of the professional and working classes of a country that needs to come out of the hellhole of bankruptcy. Instead, the local slogans seem more on the lines of; "Diyaw; Diyaw" (give, give) calling for more benefits and "Epa, Epa” (no, no) for more taxes. The problem for this Government and future Governments would be "how, how". The country is broke, awaiting a bailout from the IMF and that too only on a phased-out programme with many tough reforms to be implemented.
The unions are resorting to strike action – the final act in labour relations. They either just do not understand basic economics and the predicament the country is in financially, or they do not want to. There is an onus on the Government as well to convince them of the futility of these strikes. Maybe renegotiate with the IMF where necessary. Only the poorest of the poor will suffer by union strike action, especially the fruit farmer who must get his perishable produce to the market in time, the schoolchildren who cannot sit for their tests, and the daily-wage earner.
It is clear that last Wednesday's call for strike action did not achieve the goals its organisers entirely hoped for. Government doctors are the set of professionals who opposed private universities for doctors and supported the disastrous fertiliser ban. It is time their members gave up the herd instinct and challenged the politics of their office-bearers. It seems there is movement in that direction with some willing to put their membership on line as 'blacklegs' so that the country's tax revenue is shored up to support inter-alia, the health services. There are government teachers complaining about increased taxes which they avoid paying anyway from their roaring private tuition business.
After World War II, the people of Japan and Germany did not keep complaining and blaming the Emperor and Hitler for the misery they brought upon their countries by going to war. They rolled up their sleeves to rebuild their nations to become economic powerhouses.
This is only the beginning of tough times. The country will never recover fully unless the loss-making SOEs (State Owned Enterprises) are reformed. Restructuring them is crucial and retrenchment of staff is inevitable. This will be fodder for unions to shout even louder. One hopes the Government is working on these restructuring plans. It cannot be unmindful, though, of the fallout on families and leave them in the lurch. Many quote the example of Sri Lanka Telecom as a success story in such restructuring.
In tandem, the Government has to show that it remains committed to fighting corruption. There has to be a trade-off for the sacrifices the ordinary people are being asked to make. That does not seem to be on the Government's agenda. The President is clearly in a straitjacket as he needs the support of Government MPs for parliamentary support and can't ruffle feathers. But for now, whether the strikes by the unions will wither away, or gather momentum will be anybody's guess.