By Chaminda Silva

Thirty-four port trade unions have said they will launch a strike if the government tries to sell the East Container Terminal (ECT) to another country or party.The ECT could earn 500 million US dollars a year, General Secretary of the All-Ceylon General Port Employee Union, Niroshan Gorakanage said.

“There are rumours that the government is trying to give the ECT to Japan or another party. If the government tries to sell this national asset, we will strike work. There are 90,000 workers in Sri Lankan ports, and they will come together to protect this national asset,” he said.

Gorakanage said there had been attempts to privatize the ECT between 2015 and 2019 and between 2019 and 2020. The unions had been able to thwart them.

“The state has earned about 200 million dollars from the ECT in the past few months alone. We have a few more things to complete at the ECT and once they are done, the state can make 500 million dollars a year from the port easily,” he said.

“President Ranil Wickremesinghe is going around making silly statements. He recently said he would extend the Colombo Port to Ja Ela.”