May Day on low key this year

May Day celebrations this year will be conducted on a low key with some main political parties opting to tone down their campaigns on the day in view of the Vesak festival.

The main opposition UNP has decided not to celebrate May Day but instead conduct religious observances at electorate level.

UNP organisers at electorate level have been asked to rally people on May 1 and conduct religious observances to coincide with Vesak. The UPFA will hold its May Day rally at the Colombo Town Hall grounds tomorrow at 3 p.m. under the theme, ‘Work - Develop the Country - Move Forward in Peace’.

The Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the Communist Party and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party will also take part in the UPFA rally.
The SLFP proposals based on the devolution of power, and formulated to address the ethnic issue, is supposed to be announced at this rally.

The JVP is to hold its May Day rally tomorrow at the Parliament grounds at 3 p.m. with all its politburo members taking part.
The party will start its march to the Parliament grounds from Campbell Park at 12 noon.

Despite the main parties opting to celebrate Workers’ Day on Monday in view of Vesak, several trade unions have planned to stick to May 1 to clamour for their rights.

The August 4 Trade Union Movement representing the Ceylon Mercantile Union, the Central Bank Employees Union, the United Federation of Labour, the Health Service Trade Union Alliance and the Union of Post and Telecommunication Officers will hold their May Day rally at Hyde Park Colombo at 2.30 pm. on Tuesday.

The increasing cost of living, curtailing of democratic rights as a result of emergency regulations and compelling the Government and the LTTE to stop killings will be some of the main slogans of the trade unions at their rally. The May Day rally of the Joint Organisation of July Strikers will be held tomorrow at the Colombo Public Library.