Unions accuse govt. of violating workers’ fundamental rights

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The government has violated the fundamental rights of the workers by banning union activists of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) from entering their places of employment, Petroleum General Employees Union President Ashoka Ranwala says.

Ranwala said that the Constitution guaranteed the right to assembly and the right to express their opinions.The CPC workers had the right to engage in trade union activities, he said.

“The government is using the military to force the employees to work against their will. This is state terrorism. The Minister has no power to do any of the things that he is doing to trade union activists,” he said.

Ranwala said that trade unions have not given up and that they will soon unite with other progressive forces and defeat the state terrorism of the Ranil-rajapaksa government.

The CPC unions have alleged that the government was threatening petroleum workers and forcing them to work against their will.The unions will continue to protest against the deployment of the police and the military in CPC premises, Ranwala said.

CPC unions on Tuesday withdrew from issuing fuel in protest against the government’s decision to privatise a large portion of the retail fuel sector. The government called in the military to ensure the supply of fuel. Despite disruptions, fuel supply had returned to normal by yesterday evening, the government claimed.

The unions took this action following Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera’s announcement that the Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for allowing China’s Sinopec, Australia’s United Petroleum and RM Parks of the USA, in collaboration with multinational Oil and Gas Company – Shell plc, to enter the fuel retail market in Sri Lanka.