Sri Lankan trade unions are all set to defy an essential services order issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe by going ahead with their one-day token strike scheduled on March 1 to protest the government’s tax and utility rates hikes.
The trade unions belonging to various sectors had earlier urged the Sri Lankan government to withdraw its tax hikes and warned to hold a nationwide strike on March 1 if their demands were not met.
The Sri Lankan government introduced tax hikes with effect from January widely believed to be on demand by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Wickremesinghe last night gazetted the essential services order covering public transport, goods transportation, and all work related to ports and airports.
“The essential services gazette was issued after the trade unions gave notice of strike action”, a member of the Teachers’ Trade Union, Joseph Stalin said.
“We will go ahead as planned with strike action against these illegal tax orders”, Ranjan Jayalal of the electricity workers’ trade union said.
The doctors, teachers, and bank employees including those from the central bank are said to join the token strike