29 April 2022 09:04 am Views - 195
Following the countrywide token strikes organised by workers of the government, semi-government, and private sector yesterday (28) in protest of the government, essential services in the country were crippled. More than a thousand trade unions have joined in demanding the President and the government to go home.
People in many sectors, including education, transport, estates, ports, electricity, banks, postal services, Samurdhi, development officers, and workers, are joining the strike after applying for sick leave.
Most of the trade unions staged their protest marches towards the Colombo Fort and to the Galle Face Green, where a continuous protest was conducted against the government.
The majority of the roads in Colombo and its suburbs were deserted. Train services came to a standstill due to the participation in the trade union action.
Meanwhile, all the towns in the Nuwara Eliya District were closed, including the shops. The main and sub-roads connecting Badulla, Anuradhapura, Kekirawa, and several areas in Jaffna were blocked by the protesters.
The Colombo-Kandy main road was blocked by huge amounts of traffic due to a protest organised by the employees of export processing zones in Wathupitiwala and Malwatta.
Meanwhile, the entrance road to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) from the expressway was blocked due to a protest staged in the area. Passengers departing the country are seen walking to the airport premises.
The transport service in the country came to a stop to some extent, but several private buses were seen operating.