Boycotting work is one of the trade union rights of workers and the government is trying to deprive the university non-academics of their democratic right by issuing a threat that they would be considered as those who vacated their posts unless they report to work immediately, the Workers’ Struggle Centre has stated.

Seven days have passed since the launch of the strike action by the university non-academic staff demanding solutions to problems related to their work, including salary increments. Instead of attempting to find solutions for the grievances and just demands of the workers, the government is trying to use suppressive means to sabotage the union action, a statement signed by the Organising Secretary of the WSC Duminda Nagamuwa states.

It states: “The government’s issuance of a threatening statement that it will consider as VOP by workers if they do not comply with its call and report to work brings to the memory how the UNP government under President JR Jayewardene ruthlessly crushed a general strike in July, 1980. That was how President Jayewardene responded to trade union action. Now 36 years later, his nephew Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is threatening to do the same irrespective of the promises he made to uphold the rule of law, restoring democracy and ensuring the rights of people during the last presidential and general election campaigns.

“Workers have a right to organise trade union action and participate in them. Depriving them of that right is undemocratic. We have information that the government is preparing a new bill titled Essential Services Bill to introduce new laws depriving the people of their trade union rights. The threat to consider VOP by strikers is then the whip crackers of a long procession which is on its way.

“We call upon all workers to express their solidarity with university non-academic staff members in their righteous act and to contribute to safeguard the democratic right of the trade union”.