Chairman All Ceylon Management Services Officers Association
The government showed the eastern jetty and gave the western jetty to India. What do the unions think about this?
We now understand that this government has deceived the citizens as well as the trade unions of this country. Anyway I think we saved the East Jetty. China has been given 85% of one jetty, we get only 15% of the revenue. When the battle over the East Jetty was launched there was no talk of the government giving the West Jetty to Adani Company. However, I think the statements made by the government to the media yesterday show that this western jetty will be handed over to India at some point. Because the government is trying to alleviate the problems of power politics in the Indian Ocean region by handing over parts of the country to foreign countries. India is currently led by the American imperialists and that is how this balance of power is activated, where they have identified Sri Lanka as a turning point. The government sees the sale of valuables and land as its only solution to prevent the country’s current economic collapse. Despite the struggle of the trade unions and their temporary victories, there is a danger of this sale.
Recently we saw a pro-government company embezzling taxes and putting public money in its pocket by importing sugar. Don’t the unions see this?
We have seen in the recent past that the government is in a program to allow the Mudalali henchmen in this government to earn money due to this sugar fraud. Then the government clearly says that the price of sugar will be reduced by reducing taxes but the people in this country have never been able to buy sugar at that price. What was done there too was to pave the way for large scale moneylenders to earn the money they needed. We also saw a large loan given to an henchman of this government through a bank to buy and store cigarettes. He is asking for this money thinking that there will be an increase in the price of cigarettes in the budget. It shows that the imposition and removal of these taxes is a gamble to make money. Also, we must say that this government does not want to reduce the price of rice in this country properly. I think the leaders and politicians of this country who went to meet Dudley Sirisena in Polonnaruwa came kneeling in front of Dudley Sirisena. That is why this is a government that bows its head to the Mafia.
Trade struggles all over the country. Crisis everywhere since the Kovid crisis .. What is the behavior of the trade unions in this situation?
Yes, the problems in the country are getting worse day by day and the problems in our services as trade unions are getting worse day by day. It should be noted that it has been two years since this government was elected, but the President and the Prime Minister have not given a single discussion to any trade union, not even one of them. But they have created a place for the trade unions to struggle at Galle Face Green. A program has been put in place to suppress thug police forces. However, we think that if a head of state or a political leader of this country intervened in a trade union issue and provided a solution through a discussion, there would not be so many problems. However, due to the role of this government the trade unions have to launch a massive struggle. In order to solve the social problems of this country, we have seen the problems that affect the judiciary, the sector and the public service in this country due to the actions of the government, so I think we will have to do a lot of work as trade unions in the future.