02 June 2011 / By Nabeela Hussain Hundreds of Katunayake Free Trade Zone employees are stuck within the Zone unable to leave the area due to conflicting orders given by the government and the army, several trade unions said yesterday.The Free Trade Zone Workers Union (FTZWU) said according to a Board of Investment (BoI) directive, […]

 02 June 2011 /By Yohan PereraUnrest at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone had resulted in losses at many factories running into millions of rupees, Inter Company Workers Union President Wasantha Samarasinghe said yesterday.Mr. Samarasinghe blamed the police for the losses and said that in one of the companies losses were high as Rs 50 million. […]

 02 June 2011 / By L.B. SenaratneThe Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter the Most Venerable Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala thera yesterday said, in reference to the trade union action taken by the university academics, that the promises given to learned professionals should be honoured and university lecturers and professors should not be suppressed like university […]

Jun 1, 2011 Colombo: Members of the Joint Trade Union Alliance comprising 26 trade unions staged a massive protest today in Colombo against the pension reforms and the Monday’s police attack on Katunayake Free Trade Zone workers who were demonstrating against the proposed pension plan.The private sector employees marched along a busy street in Colombo, carrying […]

This is a tad confusing, since the US Ambassador at the time, going by this cable, did not seem to share the defence attache’s suspicion that the offers of surrender were ” a bit suspect anyway, and they tended to vary in content hour by hour, day by day.” The on-going ‘Defeating Terrorism: The Sri […]

by Melani Manel PereraClashes occurred on Monday when workers were protesting against a draft law that would not guarantee a lifetime retirement pension. Three people are said to have died in the incident.Police used tear gas and prevented wounded from being evacuated to hospitals.Catholic priests and human rights activists have firmly slammed the brutal police […]

 01 June 2011Channel-4’s announcement of screening of an hour-long film on Sri Lanka’s killing fields at UN on 3rd June, and the presentation of video footage to the UN Human Rights Council by the UN special investigator into extrajudicial killings, Christof Heyns, spread a gloomy war-crimes cloud over Sri Lanka making the terror-summit in Colombo, […]

Roshain Shanaka who received gun shot wounds during the protest against the proposed pension bill had died in Ragama hospital.The worker was in Intensive Care since he was shot during the clashes on Monday. Several police officers were also wounded as a result of retaliation by the protesting workers.Earlier Sri Lanka police chief, Mahinda Balasuriya, […]

01 June 2011 Police Chief Mahinda Balasuriya has decided to step down from his post this month, police sources said. An urgent meeting was also held at police headquarters today. The resignation comes amidst the police being criticized over the way they handled the protest by workers of the Free Trade Zone in Katunayake on […]

May 31, 2011/ by Zacki JabbarWhile one Katunayake Export Processing Zone worker remained critical and around 25 were being treated for injuries at the Negombo hospital, as a result of Monday’s clashes with the police, the main opposition, UNP, yesterday accused the government of having created a violent situation by trying to force an unfair […]

‘Workers spurned President’s offer to discuss PSP issue’ May 31, 2011,/By Shamindra FerdinandoUPFA MP Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle says a section of unruly workers had caused Monday’s brawl at Sri Lanka’s largest Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Katunayake and forced the government to shut down the facility on the following day. It could have been easily […]