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Strikes

Even as the Government painstakingly and delicately manages the peace process, with all its dangers and difficulties, another spectre has arisen to haunt it. This is the spectre of class conflict arising out of economic, social, cultural and other demographic disparities and inequities.

The re-structuring of the post-colonial Sri Lankan economy, in accordance with the dictates of structural adjustment and 'open-market' policy, has seen a worsening of existing socio-economic disparity. While the per capita income has slowly risen to become one of the highest in South Asia, the actual levels of income have begun to show a stark disparity.

In short, the Sri Lankan rich have got richer while the poor are now beginning to plumb the lower reaches of poverty. Malnutrition has been on the rise in some social sectors for over a decade while literacy has stagnated and under-employment is as significant a social problem as unemployment, Even more significant is the increase in the sheer numbers of the poor.

The cultural and social deprivation arising from growing poverty has been long acknowledged and attempts have been made to address them via poverty alleviation programmes and the continuation of social welfare subsidies in some form. Given the impoverished state of the economy as a whole, none of this has been able to stem the tide of poverty. The worsening and long-drawn-out war has added tremendously to the economic downturn and the social consequences.

Hence, the outbreak of labour struggles and strike actions should not be surprising. They are the articulation of the frustration of the working class and peasantry in the face of worsening economic deprivation and a political marginalisation. When economic needs cannot be met by means of improved incomes and socio-economic opportunities, then there is the resort to force and coercion such as in strike actions.

However, at a time of delicate politics surrounding a fragile peace process, the worsening of class conflict becomes a major threat to the continuity of that process. Class conflict opens up fissures in societies and communities that must remain united in order that they overcome the more immediate problem of inter-communal conflict. The undermining of social cohesion in turn then undermines the possibility of a wide ideological consensus so necessary for success in the peace process.

What is worse is the manipulation of social class interest groups on the basis of their economic needs and aspirations in order that the ensuing labour unrest will meet under political agendas for the disruption of the peace process.

Right now, there are indications that the sudden intensive wave of strike actions is the result of manipulations by political groups hostile to the United National Front coalition government. There are political groups, it seems, who are keen to block success in the current peace negotiations.

Since they are unable to directly obstruct the peace process by political action, these political factions are indulging in tactics that will, by blocking economic restoration, indirectly affect the larger social stability and the peace process. The intention, it seems, is to threaten the Government's stability via economic uncertainty and instability.

The labour struggles that have festered these past few weeks, such as the union action in the medical sector, are indicative of such political manipulations. Even as the Government is prepared to meet its responsibilities and deal firmly with the strike actions, the larger Sri Lankan public must be kept informed right through the social crisis and concrete steps need to be taken to address the burning issues of the crisis in an equitable manner.

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