Opinion:

Rights of railway commuters denied

by K.M. Sirinanda GOONESINGHE

It seems that most trade unions, especially those affiliated to Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), have taken the Government's stance on employees to exercise their rights as workers, misunderstood as a sign of weakness.

Unlike previous UNP regimes, the UPFA Government has given freedom to trade unions to conduct their activities in the right spirit. Especially President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who understands the pulse of the working class better as a former Labour Minister, has never hesitated to grant all rights and privileges to the working class, including the trade union activities of various trade unions.

We are fresh in our minds how the UNP treated workers during its 17-year regime from 1977. It was the late President J.R. Jayewardene who brought all trade union activities of the country to a complete halt when he sacked all those who took part in the 1980 July strike. He showed no mercy on those who participated in the 1980 July strike as thousands of Government servants lost their jobs. Jayewardene, through his iron fist action, managed to silence the trade union movement of the country for many years.

His successor, R. Premadasa, who was elected President in 1988, was no better. He did not allow a single trade union leader to open his mouth and scrapped whatever the few trade unions that were secretly functioning during the Jayewardene regime.

Almost all trade union leaders did not utter a word during President Premadasa's time, simply for the fear of their lives.

The few who were courageous enough to voice on behalf of the working class had their cremations on burning tyres.

However, with the election of President Rajapaksa in 2005, the trade union movement in Sri Lanka got a new lease of life as employees regained their rights to indulge in trade union activities.

But it seems that powers to exercise too much of democracy in trade union activities too is bad in a society which has extremist trade union leaders and opportunistic Opposition politicians.

The JVP, which is notorious for such indiscriminate acts in the name of working class, was apparently behind last week's train strike which left thousands of hapless commuters stranded.

Disregarding all accepted norms of trade union action, certain railway trade unions launched a sudden strike without any prior notice.

As a result, thousands of commuters were inconvenienced. Even the trains which had been operating at the point of time were stopped midway through.

As a result, even the teenage girls and young female workers, who had begun their journeys assuming that they would reach their final destinations before dusk, were stranded at unknown areas even until midnight. Their lives were in danger due to inhuman act of those railway trade unions. The strike was finally called off at 7.30 pm on Wednesday. Transport Minister, Kumara Welgama asked the railway unions not to hide behind labour rights to strike at peak hours, putting the public in great difficulty.

He asked the unions to have discussions, try and resolve the issues before going for strike action. Minister asked the Director General of the Railway Department to investigate the legality of holding such unannounced strikes.

The Government took prompt action to minimise the inconvenience to the public by plying extra buses provided by the Sri Lanka Transport Board from Colombo Fort and Maradana railway stations, free of charge to railway season train ticket holders. The highhanded action of the railway trade unions could well be a bad precedent, unless the real culprits are taken to task. Could a few members of a trade union, under the guise of exercising rights of the workers, inconvenience to such a damaging level?

Then what about the rights of the railway commuters?

Employees, who depend on public transport after a tiring day's work, expect to return to their homes as early as possible.

There were breastfeeding mothers, disabled persons, infants and children, among those who were affected due to Wednesday's unannounced railway strike. What about their human rights that was violated due the high handed action of a few JVP trade union leaders? Don't they have a legitimate right to return to their homes without getting disrupted and stranded at unfamiliar destinations at night?

Had those trade unions given prior notice, those commuters would not depend on trains on that particular day.

Then they would have depended on alternative modes of transport and even would have kept away from work obtaining leave. But when such a strike is launched all of a sudden, even remaining trains that were on operation came to an unscheduled halt, which was more than a trade union action.

They should not be allowed to go scot free, under the guise of a trade union action. That was nothing but sabotage and a disgraceful attempt to gain political advantage. We all know that the JVP is eroding fast and has a bleak future as a political party.

Trade union leaders of such a politically bankrupt party should not be allowed to take law into their hands and disrupt public life and cause untold misery to public.

The Government should make a full investigation on the circumstances which led to the sudden railway strike and take stern action against those who were behind it. The Government should now leave political opportunists of bankrupt parties to inconvenience the public in the name of democracy and freedom of the trade unions.

The writer is the President of the Ambalangoda-Colombo Railway Commuters Welfare Association.