Workers protest against factory closures, layoffs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 July 2003, 13:47 GMT]
Hundreds of dismissed workers in the private sector, unionized under the Inter Company Employees Union (ICEU) of Sri Lanka, held a demonstration in front of the World Trade Center building in Colombo Fort on Wednesday, protesting against the closure of 50 factories and companies of the Board of Investments and the dismissal of more than 25,000 workers since the United National Front government came to power, sources said.

“Immediately stop closing the factories and reopen all closed factories,” the demonstrators shouted and carried placards.

Parliamentarian of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Mr. Vijitha Herath and ICEU leaders, including hundreds of closed BOI factories representatives, attended the demonstration.

After the demonstration, five members of the ICEU went to the BOI office and handed over a letter to the Chairman of the BOI. Mr. S. Amarasinghe, the ICEU’s secretary, said that he handed over the letter to the BOI chairman and appealed to him to take immediate action to stop the closing of BOI factories.

In the one and a half years that the UNF government has been in power in Sri Lanka, 50 BOI factories and companies have been closed, resulting in the dismissal of more than 25,000 workers, sources said.




Demonstrators shouting slogans to stop the closure of BOI factories.