We will carry out massive demonstrations against the regime until the proposed bogus pension scheme is withdrawn - says Sri Lankan Trade Unions !

Trade unions yesterday who organised the protest day against the bogus pension scheme said they would be holding a joint front against the controversial pension scheme proposed by the government for private sector employees in action pro grammes. Colombo action opposite Fort railway station was led by JTUA leaders Linus, Amarapala, Lankapeli, Saman, Ranjith and Anton Marcus. The Joint Trade Union Alliance (JTUA) said even though a date for trade union strike action had not been decided on as yet, they would be taking severe action when the Employees’ Benefit Pension Fund (EBPF) Bill was to be taken up in parliament for debate.The Alliance that constitutes 26 trade unions from both the private and public sector said both sectors would be taking action simultaneously to defeat the bill. The Ceylon Bank

Employees Union (CBEU), a member of the Alliance said all 19 banks represented by them from both the private and public sector would take part in trade union action. JTUA representatives said even if the government did pass the bill in parliament they were making preparations to defeat it at the grassroots level. They would join together with other trade unions, despite party affiliations, to defeat the bill that robbed the hard earned remuneration of employees in broad day- light.

The Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) leader, also the patron of the UFL one of the federations of JTUA, Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne said this was an attempt to use worker’s money as the government was lacking funds and was under pressure due to the UN report on genocidal war. “This is a fraudulent scheme and we warn the government we will take severe action and also ask the people to join in to defeat the bill; we will struggle on until the government stops taking measures to establish this bill,” he said. While there was large picket out side the Fort railway station, Factories in the free trade zone in Katunayake were affected yesterday when a majority of their workers staged a walkout in protest against the proposed private sector pension bill. A large number of workers from the apparel sector walked out after they reported to work and then staged a protest along the Canada Friendship access road to the airport. Later they reached the 18th milepost junction on the Colombo-Katunayake main road compelling many passengers going to the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport to use alternate routes.

The Free Trade Zone Workers Union (FTZWU) said the employees had taken to the streets in Katunayake demanding that the government withdraw the Employee Benefit Pension Fund (EBPF) as they did not want to contribute to it. “Close to 75 per cent of the workers, which means around 20,000 to 25,000 people took part in the protest,” FTZWU Joint Secretary Anton Marcus said.The protest continued well into the evening. The protesters raised black flags and shouted slogans against the EPBF. A large contingent of policeman had been deployed under the direction of Negombo SSP Chandana Galappatti to maintain law and order. Several action leaders were arrested and detained at Katunayaka police but were released later with the intervention of NSSP leaders.