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The spate of strikes taking place in the country are inevitably creating difficulties for the ordinary people. For instance when railway workers go on strike, large number of the citizenry who use trains as a convenient form of transportation to travel to work and back are badly affected.

Stoppage of work by postal workers, administrative officers, Grama Niladharis, University non administrative staff may have lesser impact on the public than the strike by railway workers but it does inconvenience the public nonetheless.  

But the question that arises is whether the Government is handling the demands of different segments of the working populace effectively. Prudent management of industrial unrest is an important part of good governance.

The Government seems to take umbrage at any demands made by workers and immediately goes on the warpath making various allegations. Last week some Government Ministers accused some of the trade unions who are on strike of doing so to fulfill the agendas of political parties. Others dubbed the strikers as terrorists. Most of the strikes could have been minimised if the Government engaged in talks with the workers without declaring any section of the working class as an essential service as its first response.

If the Government makes a bona fide attempt to engage in talks with the workers and wins their confidence and trust, even if the Government is unable to grant them relief most workers will understand. The Government must also not adopt different approaches for different sections of the workers which will result in erosion of confidence among workers.

For instance the Government made a unilateral announcement that the salaries of the plantation workers will be increased to rupees 1700 per month from May 2024. It did not consult the Plantation Companies before doing so. As a result the latter is resisting such increase. The salary increment announced is clearly a move with an eye on the Presidential Election. However it can also be interpreted as a recognition by the Government of the difficulties faced by the Plantation workers. If so why is the Government unable to engage in discussions with workers and at least acknowledge that their grievances as justified.

Trade Unions claim that even demands which do not involve additional expenditure are not considered by Government. One Minister had the brass to state the Government was getting ready to grant certain demands of some unions in the education sector but decided against doing so when the intelligence services informed them that the strikers were affiliated to certain political parties.

This reflects the mindset of the Government to whom the difficulties of the public are of little concern. Whether the workers were associated with political parties or not is clearly irrelevant to the main issue. What the Government should have done is to examine whether the demands of those workers were justified or not and decided accordingly.

The Government seems to be focusing all its attention on macroeconomic issues, while the plight of the poor and marginalised is totally disregarded. The fact that this segment of society is the hardest hit by the economic crisis seems to be totally lost on the Government.

That engaging with the workers and holding talks with them can be productive if only a serious attempt is made is proved by the successful efforts made by former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to resolve some of the issues raised by the striking railway workers.

According to the Daily Mirror, former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in his capacity as Chairman of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ), played a pivotal role in facilitating the resolution of the railway station masters’ strike through constructive dialogue among key stakeholders.

According to the Daily Mirror, recognising the urgency of the situation, Jayasuriya had invited a delegation from the Railway Trade Union including its President Sumedha Somaratne together with the Transport and Highways Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena, and State Minister of Transport Lasantha Alagiyawanna to his residence in Colombo on the evening of July 11.

The Daily Mirror reported that during the meeting, all parties engaged in respectful and inclusive discussions aimed at finding a viable solution that would address the concerns raised by the station masters.

The collaborative effort bore fruit later that night as an agreement was reached, leading to the immediate cessation of the strike.

Issuing a statement the General Secretary of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) Sunil Jayasekera said that the NMSJ expressed its appreciation for the commitment shown by all stakeholders involved in resolving the dispute amicably. “We extend our sincere gratitude to all parties who approached the resolution of the railway trade union strike with respect and dignity” he stated.

From the statement of the NMSJ Secretary it is very clear that one of the key factors in resolving the dispute was the respectful manner in which the parties approached the issues. Clearly the role played by former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya was a key factor in facilitating the interaction between the parties in an amicable and dignified manner.

The significance of all this is that talking with the workers and making a genuine attempt to address their grievances can bear fruit if done with wisdom and restraint.

Unfortunately increasingly Government Ministers and Parliamentarians are beginning to talk like in the early days of the Gotabaya Rajapakse Presidency in the first flush of the 6.9 million victory of 2019. They label those who participated in the Aragalaya as terrorists and drug addicts ignoring the fact that it was a spontaneous uprising of the people who were undergoing untold suffering.

Labelling strikers as terrorists and agents of political parties without addressing their concerns is not helpful and will only further alienate them from the State.(javidyusuf@gmail.com)