(Lanka-e-News- 06.Nov.2014, 11.30PM) About 4000 employees of the Katunayake international airport staged a lightning strike last forenoon.
This strike was staged by the Sri Lanka freedom workers union branch of the airport affiliated to the government. Their demand was an allowance of Rs. 10,000.00, medical insurance ,4 % disaster relief loan , father to children related employment , and set up a probe into the activities of the security chief.
Following the commencement of the strike , the airport power supply was terminated at 10.00 a.m. , and by 10..45 a.m. the areas of power generators were brought under the control of the strikers . Subsequently , even the telephone communication system of the airport was disrupted. Consequently , the activities at the entire airport came to a standstill. Even the checking out and checking in of passengers at the airport were rendered impossible so much so that the international airport was instantly transformed into a local Pettah vegetable vendors’ market .
Flights too were delayed . Sri Lankan Airline Flight scheduled to carry passengers to Shanghai as well as flight to London leaving here at 2.00 p.m. was also held up. The Government having no clue about the whole calamity was in a turmoil . Immediately , representatives from the Presidential palace , namely Ministers Sarath Gunaratne and Priyankara Jayaratne and a team of high officials were dispatched to meet and negotiate with the strikers.
Following negotiations , it was agreed to grant a monthly allowance of Rs. 8000.00 instead of Rs. 10,000.00 demanded. Rs. 16,000.00 representing two months allowances , that is last month and this month was decided to be granted. The government had agreed to settle all the other demands within a week . The strikers then decided to call off the strike .
The strike that totally crippled the airport finally ended at 12.45 p.m. today with the strikers having emerged victorious. Based on reports reaching Lanka e news, Gota’s espionage service had begun investigating who are those of the union who secretly instigated the strike .
A similar lightning strike was staged at the Colombo prisons too recently driving the government into severe trauma and tension . On that occasion , all the jailors struck work suddenly at once. It is now learnt that the houses of these jailors are being threatened and their houses subjected to search
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by (2014-11-07 02:12:57)
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