CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

ENSURE SECURITY IN THE PORT AND HALT THE IRRESPONSIBLE TRADE UNION CONSPIRACY.

A.A.M.NIZAM MATARA.

Trade Unions are guardians of the wage earners protecting them against exploitation, guiding them in the right direction, and helping them to win their legitimate rights. In many Western nations Trade Unions lack freedom and legal protection they enjoy in countries like Sri Lanka.

While misuse of Trade Union rights in Western countries is not tolerated, we hear news of thousands of employees being retrenched inhumanly in these countries to avoid loss of profit or for amalgamation of multi-national enterprises.

Taking strike action to win legitimate rights and alleviate inadequacies is an acceptable norm. Nevertheless, such action by those in the fields of essential services in an irresponsible manner that could drastically affect the lives of innocent ordinary and poor masses could be termed as nothing but crude and uncivilized.

It is indeed sad to note Trade Union bosses calling their membership to resort to strike action on every petty issue in a haphazard manner at a time a trade-union friendly government is in office and a champion of trade union rights is holding the highest office of presidency in the country.

It seems that the selfish Trade Union bosses have forgotten the recent history in which 80,000 employees were inhumanly dismissed from their employment in 1980 by the J.R.Jayawardene government for demanding a mere ten rupees a day salary increase. Many of these dismissed employees underwent a pathetic harsh life and several hundred committed suicide as the then UNP government showed no mercy on them.

Resorting to strike action in an irresponsible manner by those employed in the Health, Transport, Port and other essential service is really a crime against the nation, and even a crime against humanity.

These strikes mostly affect the poorest of the society. Just imagine how many poor sick people, whose life could have been saved by administering a simple injection or by some ordinary pills, would have died untimely as a result of sporadic strike and work-to-rule actions being launched by our affluent doctors. Similarly it is the poor sectors that get affected by strikes in the transport sector, sometimes amazingly launched at the instigation of bus owners. These strikes only deprive the poor daily wage earners their income, sick from visiting hospitals, children from schooling, and office/factory staff from attending to their offices and work places. The rich have their resources and sophisticated means to get their necessities attained regardless of these strikes.

People, especially the poor and the patriotic masses would however, welcome strike action by employees in the State Sectors and Banks against privatization, particularly under the instigation of International Organisations and foreign countries as such actions would help protect our national wealth and integrity, and even help the government to stand firm against foreign dictates. Even the masses would join them in sitting-ins or protest marches showing their solidarity with them in such actions.

For the last few days we are saddled with a work-to-rule campaign by the employees of the Ports Authority which has drastically reduced the port handling of containers from 6000 to 1500 a day. This work-to- rule campaign is causing the country to lose millions as income daily hindering all our exports and unloading of even perishable essential food items such as onion, dhall, milk-food, etc. Imports destined for several countries are reported to be lying unmoved. The strike has affected even our Tea Auctions resulting in falling in prices.

Many ships are reported to have been diverted to Singapore and Dubai. Shipping lines have reported that they are losing U.S.$ 60,000 to U.S.$ 70,000 daily due to the delays in the port. Feeder lines are reported to have announced a hefty US$ 40 “Recovery Surcharge” on every 20-foot container from Saturday as a move to recoup their losses.

Our country is heavily dependent on imports since the 1977 UNP government introduced the absurd open economic policy destroying all our local food and other productions and compelling us to depend on the arrival of ships in the port, for almost all our needs. NGO parachuted President Chandrika, who hijacked the SLFP, followed the same absurd open economic policy without making any attempt at least to revive local productions of our essentials, a basic principle of
the SLFP.

In view of these factors it is the poor segments of our society that gets drastically affected by the current action in the port which can even be termed as anti-national. The traders wait for opportunities like this to increase the price of goods and such increases would reduce the purchasing capacity of our low income earners.

The port employees have launched their work-to-rule campaign demanding higher wages. As per statistics released by Authorities, Port employees are the highest paid in comparison to other state corporations or statutory bodies. The basic salary of an unskilled labourer who is a new recruit is Rs.19,825 a month. With the allowances and other perks they earn many fold of their basic salary.
For instance a driver at the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) had earned as much as Rs. 106,234.54 last month.

The Port had been running at a loss incurring a loss of Rs. 2.1 billion in 2002 and a loss of Rs. 3 billion in 2003. The present government had been successful in reversing this adverse trend that resulted in a profit of Rs. 10.07 billion last year. The government allege that it is to retard this growth that the Trade Unions have launched its irresponsible action. Port employees had been given a minimum salary increase of Rs. 2500 in December 2004 and another increase of Rs. 750 from January this year.

The government had to spend about rupees 400 million for the salary increase that came into effect this year. In view of higher salaries being paid and salary increases recently granted the demand of an increase in the basic salary of Rs. 3000 and a special port allowance of Rs. 3.50 per unit based on the cost of living can undoubtedly be classified as irresponsible demands with hidden political motives.

At a time the government and the country is facing a great threat to its security from the terrorist outfit and there were attempts made by them recently to penetrate the harbour region, the government needs to take strong action to ensure security in the port, overcome this impasse and bring port operations to normal. Port employees taking national security and welfare of the country into their hearts brush aside the dictates of the politically motivated Union bosses and should return to normal work putting an end to this crisis.

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