FUND DRIVE £11,166.08 2U February 19:b markca in a sharp and tangible manner the beginning of a resurpence of working class militancy in Ceylon.
On this day, the suppressed but crowne mananon or me workers against the reactionary and repressive methods used by the Government against working class struggles in general - and the Government Press strike in particular - erupted in a massive was when workers belonging to most of the trade unions. including the Cevion Mercantile Union, struck together in the January 1962. The strike was islandwide, and the working class or ceylon once again demonstrated that differences of race. religion and community GO TOE CHECE BIE CaSS SUMERIC The current mood of the working speeches made at a packed meeting of the General Council of the CMU on 17 February, when speaker after speaker came to the platform to support the proposal of the Executive Committee that the union should participate in the token strike not only in support of the strug gle of the Government Press workers, and against the Government's use of emergency powers against that strugele, but to demand the withdrawal of the Essential Services Order under which the fundamental right to strike has been snatched away from the working class.
Although some major unions ing those of plantation workers and bank employees ou not partipaic. te strike had a paralysing effect on road. rail and air transport, oil distribution, and key sectors of industry. trade and commerce. both in public and private sectors. The strike in the Ceylon Transport Board Mass general (CTB) was the most effective ever experienced. Not even in the Hartal or the CTB strike of 1962 has there been such compiete istand-ac amy or b employees includ- in struggle. Likewise, in the railway, no further evidence of the completeness of the strike was required than the vast emptiness of the Fort Maradana railway stations during the entire day.
the entire work force of approximatel 15.000 struck work. The situation was - Red Weekly 18 March 1976 down.
In Colombo Port. ships were idle as Mrs Bandaranaike-praying that Government will survive growing workers' struggles? the same in the ports of Galle and Trincomalee. State enterprises employing WE. thousands of workers. such as the CWE Insurance Corporation. National Textile Corporation. State Engineering Corporation and Steel Corporation. were shut In the private sector most of the factories. particularly in the industrial areas such as Ratmalana and Jacla, and also the Wellawatta Spinning and Weaving Mills. were completely affected by the strike. All the major establishments in the tea, rubber and fibre export business. shipping etc. were also unable to carry out any work or business.
The impact of the strike on the public was so obvious that the feeble attempt of the Government to make out that it was not really effective only served to widen further the credibility gap between the Government and the people. Following the token strike of 20 February there have been reports of variou disturbances and incidents. The most senious one occurred arme are ent Corporation, about 35 miles from the capital city Colombo, where a lock-out has been imposed since 23 February and the CMU branch president and another CMU member have been arrested.
On 21 February, from morning to night, te workers nad been forcing the executives to apologise for not joining the strike the previous day. The General Manager was gheroed (held captive) in his office in the morning. He had called for the army, and a truck load had gone into the factory at 9.30 am.
These soldiers were armed with machine guns. The workers bared their chests to them and asked them to fire. Others started pelting them with stones, and the army personnel were forced to retreat and the gates of the factory were closed. Then the enraged workers demanded that the General Manager should come out and explain why he called in the army. He was forced to come out and explain that he had not asked the army to enter the factory, although he admitted having called for them - for which he gave an apology to the workers gathered there Further incidents took place during the day, and a police jeep arrived at the factory at 10.30pm. They too were forced out of the premises by the workers. The management cancelled all Sunday overtime work and on Monday the gates were closed and the entire work force of over 4,000 were locked out. Buses approaching the Textile Corporation were stopped by the police, who assaulted passengers who protested. The lock-out continues, and joint action by all unions is being considered by the CMU.
From a leaflet published by the Asian Socialist Forum. Further details from: 22 Boundary Road. London NW8 (01-328 2332).
2. Intermediary balance sheet of the Portuquese revolution 3. European perspectives document;
4. Theses on the Arab revolution;
5. Balance sheet of the Indochinese revolution 6. Theses on women's oppression and the women's liberation movement;
7. Organisational norms of the Four th International;
8. The outgoing international leac ersnip s activity rebort 9. Election of the International Executive committee If a revolutionary situation breaks out in Spain before the Eleventh World Congress, Spain will be a special point or the agenda. Likewise, any other im portant change in the world situation may lead the United Secretariat or the World Congress delegates themselves to add additional points to the agenda.
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strike in Ceylon
machine guns