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| Workers in Colombo demand their rights. |
COLOMBO--Christian priests and nuns were among hundreds who took to the streets of Colombo yesterday to protest what they say is government repression of workers’ rights and a witch hunt against trade union activists.
In a statement yesterday, August 30, 2011, the demonstrators also condemned the government’s “lack of action” in providing justice for a Catholic worker who was killed during a police crackdown on a strike at the Free Trade Zone near Colombo on May 31.
The strike was called to protest a proposed pension bill aimed at private sector workers, which the workers say will leave them much poorer.
The government is using the judiciary as a tool to deny workers their rights and police intelligence units to hunt down trade union leaders, according to Linus Jayatilleke, president of the United Workers Federation.
Two strikes by the country’s banking and telecommunication workers were stopped as a result of court orders, he said
This and the government’s failure to provide justice for the dead Free Trade Zone worker, Roshen Chanaka, and those injured in the May crackdown shows the government’s blatant disregard for workers, he added.
Protesters at yesterday’s demonstration promised further action if the government fails to bring Chanaka’s killers to justice.
They also announced yesterday the launch of a fund to help the more than 100 people who were injured in the police crackdown.
We are doing this because “we can’t expect justice. We are sure the police who killed the young worker and injured the many others will not be punished,” Jayatilleke said.
Pledging the support of Christian right activists, Holy Family Sister Deepa Fernando of the Christian Solidarity Movement (CSM) said “if we are to serve the people we should be with the workers in their struggle.”
The few Religious who have come forward “will be a great strength in this journey to protect workers at this crucial moment in time,” she said.
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