Fuel distribution and cargo handling at ports are likely to be affected and electricity and water supplies disrupted when several trade unions launch a work-to-rule campaign on Wednesday demanding the much-delayed and oft-deferred salary hike.
But several ministers said they were taking steps to ensure that these vital utility sectors were not affected. They also charged that the trade union action was politically motivated.
Trade union sources said the three-day work-to-rule or go-slow campaign would affect services for five days because workers would not do overtime on Saturday and Sunday.
They said they decided to resume their trade union action because the government had not responded to their demands or call for talks.
On October 26, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, upon his return from Vietnam, held talks only with leaders of pro-government unions. The talks came after Ceylon Petroleum Corporation workers launched a crippling go-slow campaign that caused a countrywide fuel shortage for several days.
On Friday, ministers in charge of the sectors that were likely to be affected by the work-to-rule campaign urged union leaders to abandon their go-slow campaign since President Rajapaksa had promised a pay hike from January.
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| A long queue of vehicles outside a Colombo fuel station during the recent trade union action
by CPC workers |
Ports Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said trade unions should realise that despite a drop in the port’s revenue in recent months due to the global economic crisis, the President had promised a public sector wage increase from January.
He charged trade unions attached to the JVP and the UNP were trying to cripple the work at the port for political reasons. “More than 95 percent of the workers are aware of the harmful effects of the strike. We have taken all steps to ensure that the services at the port are maintained as usual,” he said.
Recalling how the UNP regime in the 1980s sacked thousands of striking government-sector employees, Mr. Rajapaksa said opposition-led unions were provoking the government to do the same.
Petroleum Resources Minister A.H.M. Fowzie said the work-to-rule campaign was a conspiracy by opposition-led trade unions to create a difficult situation for the government ahead of elections.
“We have plans to deploy private tankers for fuel distribution and provide them with necessary security to ensure that supplies will not be affected,” he said.
Water Supplies Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that with the support of pro-government unions they would ensure an uninterrupted supply of water.
He said the government would not invite opposition-led trade unions for talks as their demands were based on a political agenda.
However, key trade union leaders also remained defiant yesterday.
They said they would go ahead with their trade union action as they had given sufficient time for the government to consider their demands.
A CPC trade union leader, meanwhile, questioned the vagueness in the President’s promise.
“Although the ministers claim that we would be entitled for a salary increase, the President made no mention about the CPC, which is a corporation. The President spoke only about a public sector salary hike. We are not categorized as public sector,” CPC Common Service Union spokesman D.J. Rajakaruna said.
He warned that if the government did not meet their demands, they would resort to further trade union action.
Commenting on Minister Fowzie’s plan to use private tankers to distribute fuel, Mr. Rajakaruna said it would not be practical as outsiders were not familiar with the operations within the CPC.
Chandrasiri Magamage, President of the Joint Union of the Ports Authority, said they had little faith in the government as it had broken its promises several times.
Giving a hint on how the services would be affected at the port, the union leader said that usually about 30 containers were handled within an hour and it would take ten hours to clear a ship, but during the work-to-rule days, only ten containers would be cleared in an hour.
“We can expect a long queue of ships outside the harbour and a long queue of container trucks on the roads leading to the harbour when we go on the work-to-rule campaign,” he said adding that during a previous strike, the Ports Authority incurred a daily loss of Rs. 12.1 million. |
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