Showdown stayed, but unions still on striking path

By Nadia Fazlulhaq

A general strike to be staged by JVP-backed trade unions on Friday was postponed after the Government agreed to meet five of their six demands -- but the unions have vowed to carry on their campaign on the sixth demand for an increase in the cost of living allowance.

The unions suspended their one-day general strike after crisis talks on Wednesday with top cabinet ministers and presidential advisors.

The Cabinet committee consisted of Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Ministers Athauda Seneviratne, John Seneviratne, Dew Gunesekare and Sarath Amunugama and they were assisted by Presidential advisors Basil Rajapaksa and Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra at the crisis meeting with 17 leaders representing 254 trade unions.

JVP parliamentarians K.D. Lal Kantha and Piyasiri Wijenayake were among those in the negotiating team.

All Ceylon Trade Union Federation Additional Secretary Premasiri Manawadu said five of the demands had been agreed upon which specific dates being set for the implementation.

One of the demands made was to grant all public servants an annual salary increment of 3% instead of the present procedure which varies according to grades.

The trade unions complained that public servants in higher grades receive a 3% increment while the workers in the lower grades receive a 0.85% increment.

Lanka Viduli Sevaka Sangamaya General Secretary G. A. Ranjan Jayalal said that even though there were only six general demands as a whole, the CEB trade unions had 18 separate demands to be granted by the Government, failing which protests and strikes would continue.

National Trade Union Centre Convener Samantha Korale-Arachchi said there would be strikes and protests organized by different trade unions individually if their general requests were not granted by April 25.