NorthEast Trade Union criticises SL President's actions

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 November 2003, 14:56 GMT]
North East Trade Unions Federation (NETUF) at a special meeting held Sunday condemned the recent actions by the President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge as a step to derail the peace talks between the United National Front (UNF) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)," sources said.

Representatives of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union, North East Province Government Officers Federation, North East Province Clerical and Allied Services, North East Province General Employees Union, North East Province Technical Officers Union and North East Province Animal Husbandry Instructors Union attended the meeting held at Trincomalee Sri Vigneswara Maha Vidiyalayam Sunday morning.

Representatives of trade unions reviewed the current political situation in the country and future of the peace process decided to write to the President to abandon her actions already taken by dismissing three key ministers, defence, interior and mass communications and the prorogation of the parliament for two weeks in the interest of the country

At the meeting four resolutions were unanimously passed:

1. The North East Trade Union Federation condemns the President’s action in dismissing three key ministers of the UNF government the suspension of the parliament, as it would lead to the derailment of the peace process and the country in chaos.
2. The NETUF unanimously decides to write to the President requesting her to abandon her those actions in the interest of the country.
3. The NETUF decides to request the President to extend her wholehearted co-operation to the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe in his attempt to find a negotiated peaceful political solution.
4. NETUF decides to appeal to trade unions in the south of the country to oppose constitutional moves by the President that could seriously affect the current peace process now being taken forward by the parties concerned with the third party facilitation.

A joint statement signed by Mr.T Mahasivam, General Secretary of the CTTU, Mr.A.G.Theivendran, Secretary of the North East Government Officers Federation, Mr.S.Sivapalan, President of the North east Clerical and Allied Services Union, Mr.S. Surenthiran, President North East General Employees Union, Mr.S.Yogendran, Secretary of the North East Technical Officers Union and Mr.K.Karunairaj, President of the North East Animal Husbandry Instructors Union was issued at the end of the meeting.

Mr. Theivendran presided the meeting, sources said.