Friday Sep 20, 2024
Friday Sep 20, 2024
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Millions of workers representing over 1,000 organisations staged a crippling hartal yesterday, in a bid to pressure the Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led Government to step down, whilst calling for pragmatic and viable solutions to the national crises irrespective of party politics.
.The national level hartal yesterday was being carried out after 69 years, bringing the entire economy to a standstill since the demonstrations began, with both State, private sector employees and civil organisations taking part.
The previous such national level protest was held on 28 April.
Tens and thousands of individuals took to the streets in support of yesterday’s hartal campaign.
Over 1,000 trade unions covering vast range of sectors including; health, ports, electricity, banks, railways, education, customs, manufacturers, postal and all semi-Government services engaged in demanding for economic and political stability.
Unlike in other occasions, over 3,000 factory workers from main Export Processing Zones (EPZs) – Katunayake, Biyagama and Seethawaka joined the strike. No vehicular movements were allowed inwards or outward the EPZs.
Colombo’s main commercial area of Pettah, wholesale trading shops were also shut and workers joined a march in solidarity of the people’s struggle.
Most banks were closed while a few provided reduced hours of service.
Sri Lanka has been hit by months of acute shortages of food, fuel, and medicines, prompting widespread protests.
Union leaders said yesterday’s hartal was a massive success and was better than the token strike on 28 April.
“The people can win this struggle if they can remain united and work collectively,” they pointed out.
However, as word spread of the tear gas attack, more youth joined with the IUSF and decided to occupy the road leading to Parliament and voice their protest.
The Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF) on Thursday night established a protest camp along the road leading to the Parliament, dubbed ‘HoruGoGama’. This protest camp is the latest site set-up against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and their Government.
Police fired tear gas and water cannons several times to disperse hundreds and thousands of IUSF students near the Parliament entry road at Polduwa Junction in Battaramulla.
They accuse the Government for mismanaging the economy, which has resulted in increased costs of living and a drop in the country’s reserves to historic lows of $ 50 million.
The protestors in close proximity to the Parliament complex have thrown underpants on the barricades set up by Sri Lanka Police to prevent them from moving forward, giving the protests an unusual twist.
A daily protest organised and attended by people with no political party affiliation is being held in front of the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo for the 28th day running.
