Protest against privatisation in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 September 2002, 19:44 GMT]
Hundreds of workers of state runs banks and the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation demonstrated Tuesday in downtown Colombo against the United National Front government's plans to privatise the institutions. The demonstration was organised by Ceylon Bank Workers'Union and Sri Lanka insurance Corporation workers Union.

A spokesman for the unions charged that the United National Front government is bowing to the dictates of the IMF and World Bank.

"Thousands of workers and their families would be left in the lurch when the government sells the People's Bank, the Bank of Ceylon and the Insurance Corporation to greedy capitalists", he said.

The GOSL has launched a counter campaign mainly through the media, in expensive and regular ads, to explain the reasons for selling the loss making institutions to private business.

The GOSL campaign portrays the institutions as white elephants.

The Sinhala nationalist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna supports the workers and is vehemently opposed to privatisation.

Insurance Corporation workers marched from Slave Island to the Fort railway station in downtown Colombo, shouting slogans and carrying placards and banners, denouncing UNF's economic policies. A large number of other government employees joined the demonstration in front of the railway station later.