Major strike planned in July to demand pay hike

The National Trade Union Federation is planning to stage a major work stoppage in three stages across the island in July to demand a minimum Rs. 5,000 pay hike for workers in the state, private and plantation sectors, according to ‘Rivira’ newspaper.

As the 1980 strike marks its 28th anniversary, the planned action is backed by the All Ceylon Trade Unions Federation, the Inter-Company Employees Union and the Ceylon Estate Workers Union, Chairman of the NTUF K.D. Lal Kantha said.
  
  In addition, trade unions affiliated to the SLFP, the UNP, the MEP and the LSSP would be invited to join, he said.

The July trade union action will be staged in three phases, with the first to be organized by the Inter-Company Employees Union in Colombo in late July, ICEU President Wasantha Samarasinghe told the newspaper.

As the second phase, the entire state sector will engage in a one-day token strike island wide in the first week of July.

If the demand for a Rs. 5,000 minimum pay hike is not met by then, state, private and plantation workers will stage a combined work stoppage in the middle of the month.

The Ceylon Electricity Board, the State Petroleum Corporation, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, all state-hospitals, together with employees in the private and plantation sectors will be drawn to this effort simultaneously, Mr. Lal Kantha said.

The exact dates for these strikes are likely to be announced on June 16th.