Nine JVP trade union leaders removed

4 December 2011 03:45 pm

The JVP-affiliated trade union sector is on the brink of a split with the removal of nine trade union leaders from their positions recently, party dissidents said today.

Among them are All Ceylon Health Services Union General Secretary  Dr. R.M.W. Ranasinghe and Treasurer T.E. Ian Chandrakumar, Inter Company Workers Union Senior President Ranjith Piyatilake and Vice President Upul Wijesinghe, Ceylon Teacher Services Union President H.M. Dharmadasa and its  Central Province’s secretary A.B. Gangoda,  Lanka Viduli Sevaka Sangamaya Deputy General Secretary L.P.K. Kokamulla, All Ceylon Transport Workers Union Organising Secretary W. Wasantha Piyadasa, and Madhura Gamage - President of the  party’s  trade unions attached to the local government sector.
 
Dr. Ranasinghe told a news conference, flanked by all these trade union leaders, that all of them would educate the membership about what they termed the injustice meted out to them. He charged that the leadership of the NTUC had acted arbitrarily in the removal of these members.
 
“All these members who were removed were carrying out an ideological struggle within their respective trade unions. That struggle was for socialism. Yet, the NTUC leadership acted in a high handed manner. We will educate the members. As a result of arbitrary decisions taken by the leadership in recent times, the struggles carried by us for the good of the working class did not bring about desired results.  If the present status quo remains, the working class will not benefit,” he   said. (Kelum Bandara)