Trade unionism in Sri Lanka: A boon or bane?

The tragic death of 19-year-old Dinuth Perera, a student of Moratuwa Technical College who fell off from the roof of the overcrowded Kandy-Colombo train last week, shocked and angered the public. A massive antipathy was directed at the Sri Lanka Locomotive Operating Engineers Union in the aftermath of the unfortunate incident, as the sudden strike launched by the trade union caused immense inconvenience to the railway passengers. 

Regrettably, it is the ordinary public who have to regularly undergo distress and agony because of the irresponsible actions undertaken by the selfish and opportunistic unionised employees attached to the essential services. Patients in Government hospitals experiencing discomfort and inconvenience due to the frequent strikes carried out by the employees attached to the health sector is a common occurrence in the country.

No doubt trade unions are an important element of a society. The unions enable the working-class to advance their interests by bargaining with employers to ensure better pay and working conditions, safer workplaces, improved maternity and care leave, as well as non-discriminatory HR practices. Be that as it may, the conduct of organised labour in Sri Lanka, especially those who are associated with essential services, has been detrimental to the best interest of the nation. By resorting to extreme measures such as strikes and work-to-rule campaigns prior to exploring other sensible options, trade unions have become highly unpopular and widespread contempt exists towards their behaviour and attitudes.

Over the years, our economy and taxpayers have suffered from the narrow-minded activities of the trade unions in the public sector. The unions attached to vital SOEs such as the CEB and CPC are accused of furthering their self-interest at the expense of taxpayers and the wellbeing of the economy. In fact, some SOEs in Sri Lanka exist solely for the benefit of their employees while causing tremendous despair to the economy. The promotion of a CEB engineer last August to the post of an AGM just one day before her retirement at the request of CEB Engineers Union, illustrates the typical mindset of public sector trade unions. The CPC too is well known as a den of corruption and financial leakage, and trade unionists in the Corporation have played no small part in the worrisome state of affairs. 

Most of the SOEs are highly overstaffed and to make the matters worse, unionised workers patronise a culture of idleness and lethargy among those entities. Attempts to reform these enterprises to make them commercially viable and thereby reduce the enormous burden on the tax-paying general public are vehemently opposed by the unions. 

Last March, certain sections of the CPC workers initiated a strike against the Government’s decision to allow several multinational companies to import and sell petroleum in the domestic market, and brought the country to a standstill. The Government’s move was clearly pro-people and the deplorable action by the trade unions was motivated by their unwillingness to face competition, which would have provided a better deal to consumers. Most of the influential trade unions in Sri Lanka are affiliated to various political parties, and it has been observed that some unions deliberately indulge in acts of sabotage to fulfil their political agendas.    

The history is replete with examples when great political leaders such as Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan acted decisively to neutralise disorderly trade union actions in order to safeguard the general public. President Wickremesinghe took swift action to thwart the aforementioned strike by CPC unions by deploying police and military power in the larger interest of the country.

The quest towards long-term economic growth warrants comprehensive reforms that prioritise the interest of the country ahead of the interest of trade unions. It is incumbent upon trade union members to comprehend this reality and act responsibly.