Some unions to go ahead with May 1 rallies

Several trade unions have opposed the state postponement, because it clashes with Wesak, of May Day rallies on May 1 saying they will go ahead with their rallies.
One such group, the Free Trade Zones and General Services Union (FTZGSEU) said it will go ahead with its May Day rally on May 1 in Vavuniya, as originally planned. The Government said earlier that it has postponed May Day rallies to May 7 since May 1 falls during Wesak.
In a statement the group said that it didn’t agree with the change, pointing out that May Day comes after Wesak which is on April 29 and the extra holiday on April 30. “Therefore May Day has absolutely no interference with Wesak. Also if May Day interferes with any religious event or festivity, we will firmly say that, this should be discussed with trade unions that represents workers.”
The union points out that there have been instances in the past too where Wesak fell close to May 1 but no change was made by the then governments to postpone May 1 rallies.
The rally being organized in Vavuniya is meant to “garner support from other organisations (attended by our membership) in an effort to create unity among workers from North to South”, the union said. - ENDS -