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| Sunday, 12 March 2006 |
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Letters |  |
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Please forward your letters to [email protected] in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
We, at Pamankada, in close proximity to the office of the water board, for the past few weeks got a very low pressured water supply. Sometimes the consumption charge is less than the fixed charges for domestic consumption. We have an overhead tank which used to get filled every day around 0300 hrs in the morning. Presently this tank gets filled once a week. The ground floor supply is little more than a trickle. On inquiry from the O.I.C. at the water board, we were told that the supply of water is through a narrow tube and due to the new high rise buildings the supply trickle through this pipe. If this is true how is it possible to have sufficient pressure to fill our tank once a week? If it is true who authorised the construction of highrise buildings without adequate supply of water? Is it planned in such a way that the authorities want the low level building dwellers to sacrifice water for the sake of the dwellers of the high-rise buildings? If so will the C. M. C. consider reducing taxes for the low level building dwellers for their sacrifices? I have nothing against the highrise dwellers but if the water pressure is maintained sufficiently everybody can enjoy the water without discrimination. There appears to be another highrise building under construction behind the office of the Water Board very close to the above mentioned junction. Will the low level building dwellers ever get any water after the occupation of that building? Mahinda Perera The general public and the government of Sri Lanka should be alerted about the unwarranted interference by foreign based N.G.O s some of whom are financed by religious organisations abroad. The ultimate aim of these NGO's is to destabilise the industrial relations situation in the Free Trade Zones, thereby resulting in the closure of factories and mass scale unemployment. Some of these foreign based NGOs are actively assisted by whisky sipping 'Dollar Kaakas' living in Colombo 7, who are hell bent on earning dollars at the expense of our poor village girls in the Free Trade Zones. It is strange that one such foreign NGO has as its local address and telephone number, the identical address and number of a trade union operating in the F.T.Z., situated at Colombo 10. This trade union is bent on earning dollars by creating unrest among F.T.Z. employees. Sri Lanka has ratified the two vital Human Rights Conventions of the I.L.O. i.e. No. 87 on Freedom of Association and No. 98 on the right to organise and bargain collectively and the local legislation is in conformity with the relevant articles of the conventions. Freedom of association and the right to join and form trade unions is guaranteed under Sri Lanka's basic law, the constitution of Sri Lanka. Workers in Sri Lanka, without distinction, are free to strike in defence of their economic and social interests. Strangely even public servants are free to strike without incurring penalties whereas in advanced countries such as Germany, Japan and even Switzerland (The home of the I.L.O.) state employees cannot strike. In these countries state employees who engage in strike action are liable for dismissal. G. P. Perera This is to let the general public, the Minister in charge of Education and the President of this country know some facts about the section of non-academics of the University of Colombo who stopped work over the introduction of time recording machines using finger prints. The universities are being run on public funds and therefore they should know the real situation. Let no one be fooled, this work stoppage is about the introduction of finger print machines to record the in and out times from the university. Do not believe that they have other grievances or that the university administration is being unfair to them only. It is about the time recording machines, stupid! nothing else. Those who stopped work are led by a small group that stood to lose the most by this fool proof method of recording attendance. They are ones who regularly forge the signatures in attendance signing books, record incorrect in and out times and are carrying out private and more lucrative work during the working hours of the university. If any one reading this does not believe what I am saying please make inquiries about these from those who work at the University of Colombo and see for yourself. These things are known to the higher ups of the university as well as those in the University Grants Commission but they all seem to be asleep. During the last three weeks the non academic who stopped working abused those who did not join them and therefore worked, in vile filth, threatened them with dire consequences and sabotaged the water supply to some buildings in the faculty of science making it impossible to work inside those buildings. A disgusted employee of the university
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