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May Day: No big rallies, but small meetings streamed online
Teachers Union May Day: Emphasis on health. Pic by Akila Jayawardana
Most major parties did not conduct large scale political rallies and meetings to celebrate International Worker’s Day or May Day yesterday, but some of them held smaller meetings in their party offices.
This was the third consecutive time the political parties had to conduct their May Day meetings without major processions or rallies.There were no May Day posters on roadsides and there were no big gatherings.
The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the United National party (UNP) cancelled their events for May Day.
The main opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), held its May Day meeting at its headquarters in Ethul Kotte. The event was held online, and the members and the leaders of the party addressed the event.
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) held small events to mark May Day. It paid a floral tribute to the late Minister T. B. Ilangaratne’s statue at Sri Utharananda Mawatha near Temple trees yesterday morning. Mr Illangaratne had played a key role in setting up the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE), cooperative societies and the People’s Bank.
JVP leader addressing the party’s virtual May Day rally
The SLFP’s Chairman and Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Party General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara, United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera and Democratic Left Front Leader Wasudewa Nanayakkara took part in the event.
The SLFP also handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa 21proposals made by trade unions affiliated to the party.
The proposals included, increasing the wages of both public and private sector employees by Rs 5000, recruiting permanent staff for various professions instead of employing them on a contract basis, implementing a Parliament approved proposal of increasing the retirement age of all employees to 60 years and avoiding the privatisation of companies which directly contribute to the country’s economy.
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa addressing the people via a live video streamed from the party headquarters said even though some people considered that the back bone of Sri Lanka’s economy was business, yet the true core of the economy were the working people.
He said many people spoke of economic growth but few of them spoke of the worker’s economic growth. Yet he believed that when the economy grew the worker’s economy too should improve.
Communist Party May Day: Social distance and socialism
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) too held its May Day event at its party headquarters yesterday, under the theme defeat capitalism and create peoples power for socialism.
The JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said they had to celebrate the 132nd worker’s day under special conditions. He said they wanted to have a big rally but were forced to have the event at the party office and broadcast it via Internet.
Both the major parties and socialist parties marked the International Worker’s Day with limited crowds, and they streamed their events online.
The Communist Party and the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) held their events according to social distancing regulations and other COVID-19 preventive measures.
The event which was held at the Communist Party headquarters was attended by party leaders and a small number of supporters. The party members were clad in red T-shirts, caps and face masks.
Some of the May Day resolutions made by these parties were: Provide pensions for state sector employees who were denied of their pensions, the minimum private sector payments should be Rs 15,000 and an additional allowance of Rs 5000 should be added to it, provide jobs for the jobless and allow various companies to form unions, including contractors.
The meeting was addressed by LSSP General Secretary Thissa Vitharana and CP General Secretary G. Weerasinghe.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa at a ceremony in Hulftsdorp to commemorate his late father and former President R. Premadasa who was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber during a May Day rally. Pic by Indika Handuwala