{"id":1517,"date":"2011-11-05T11:21:36","date_gmt":"2011-11-05T11:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/colombotelegraph.com\/?p=1517"},"modified":"2011-11-05T11:21:36","modified_gmt":"2011-11-05T11:21:36","slug":"wikileaks-us-believes-trade-unions-in-sl-are-politicized-and-not-like-us-unions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wikileaks-us-believes-trade-unions-in-sl-are-politicized-and-not-like-us-unions\/","title":{"rendered":"WikiLeaks: US believes Trade unions in SL are politicized and not like US unions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Colombo Telegraph<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sri Lankan labor situation differs from that in the Unites States with almost all of the unions affiliated with a political party, and different unions working at the same work site\u201d the US Ambassador to Colombo wrote to Washington.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A leaked unclassified US diplomatic cable records the trade union actions against the government. The Colombo Telegraph found the cable from WikiLeaks database. The cable written on November 16, 2009 by the US Ambassador to Colombo Patricia A. Butenis.<\/p>\n

The Ambassador wrote \u201cThe labor actions had a limited impact, but post expects continued labor actions in advance of planned election next year. The workers have not received expected wage increases this year, so there are economic reasons behind the labor slowdowns. The main purpose, however, is likely political, to weaken the position of ruling government\u201d<\/p>\n

Placing a comment the Ambassador wrote \u201c Post expects that these labor actions will continue, and probably increase, as we enter the political season. This entire episode also illustrates how Sri Lankan labor unions have been primarily co-opted for political purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The government of Sri Lanka had not granted any wage increases to these workers in 2009, and had refused to meet with the UNP and JVP unions until the threatened labor action. The government usually provided wage increases in a year collective bargaining agreement (CBA), although the government union claimed that the collective bargaining agreements are just informal deals. In any case, the last CBA expired in January 2009, and the GSL refused to provide salary increases, initially due to the war against the LTTE, and now because of the IMF agreement.\u201d\u00a0 Placing a comment the Ambassador wrote \u201cthe IMF letter of intent does not address salary increases, and for the Ceylon Petroleum Company and Ceylon Electrical Board to become break even enterprises by 2011.\u201d \u201cThe JVP- and UNP \u2013 affiliated unions say that inflation in 2007 and 2008 eroded their real wage rates, although now inflation is low.\u201d she further wrote.<\/p>\n

Related news; WikiLeaks: GOSL refused salary hike \u2013 then because of the war now because of the IMF<\/a><\/p>\n

The Colombo Telegraph publishes the leaked cable below;<\/p>\n

VZCZCXRO8814\nPP RUEHBI RUEHCI\nDE RUEHLM #1037\/01 3200946\nZNR UUUUU ZZH\nP 160946Z NOV 09\nFM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO\nTO RUEHC\/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0763\nINFO RUEHKA\/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 2040\nRUEHIL\/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 9068\nRUEHKT\/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 7310\nRUEHNE\/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 3465\nRUEHCG\/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 9631\nRUEHKP\/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 2566\nRUEHCI\/AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 0452\nRUEHBI\/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 6925\nRUEHC\/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY\nRUEATRS\/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY\nRUCPDOC\/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY\nUNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001037\n\nSENSITIVE\nSIPDIS\n\nDEPARTMENT PASS TO USTR MIKE DELANEY\/VICTORIA KADER\n\nE.O. 12958: N\/A\nTAGS: CE<\/a> ECON<\/a> ELAB<\/a> PGOV<\/a>\nSUBJECT: LABOR SLOWDOWNS BEGIN POLITICAL SEASON\n\n\u00b6<\/a>1.     (SBU)  Summary. Labor unions affiliated with the\nopposition political parties UNP and JVP held a three day\nlabor slowdown Nov 11-13 in the government run electricity,\npetrol, water and port companies.  The labor action had a\nlimited impact, but post expects continued labor actions in\nadvance of the planned elections next year.  The workers have\nnot received expected wage increases this year, so there are\neconomic reasons behind the labor slowdowns.  The main\npurpose, however, is likely political, to weaken the position\nof the ruling government.  End Summary.\n\nWork-to-Rule Labor Actions\n\n\u00b6<\/a>2.    (U)  The leaders of the trade unions affiliated with\nthe opposition UNP and JVP parties announced a work-to-rule\nlabor action November 11-13 to protest that they have not\nreceived salary increases this year.  Union members only\nworked to rule at key government-run utilities such as\nelectricity (Ceylon Electrical Board), petroleum (Ceylon\nPetroleum Corporation), the Water Board, and the government\noperated dockyards in the Port of Colombo.  The work-to-rule\nlabor action means that the workers would only work as\nstrictly prescribed by the rules, and they would not work\novertime or go beyond their prescribed duties to solve\nproblems.  The work-to-rule action is significant, because\nworkers do much of their jobs in overtime work to earn more\nmoney.  For example, the CPC workers have eight hour shifts,\nbut that is not enough time for them to deliver gasoline to\nservice stations in outlying areas and get back to Colombo.\nIn this case, unlike a JVP union strike last year, the\nindependent Engineers union agreed to join the strike.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>3.    (U)  The Sri Lankan labor situation differs from that\nin the United States with almost all of the unions affiliated\nwith a political party, and different unions working at the\nsame work site.  Therefore, although the UNP and JVP unions\nare on strike at the four utilities, workers belonging to\nunions affiliated with the government SLFP party will\ncontinue to work.  It is unclear the relative strength of the\nunions at each site.  Leslie Devendra, the General Secretary\nof the government-affiliated union SLNNS claimed that his\nunion controlled the majority of workers at all four\nutilities, whereas the union affiliated with the UNP claimed\nbroad membership in these areas.   Members of the\ngovernment-affiliated union even held a protest march\nNovember 10 against the planned work to rule labor slowdown.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>4.    (U)  The work-to-rule slowdown caused disruptions, but\nit did not create an immediate crisis.  According to news\nreports, deliveries of petroleum were reduced by 50% on\nNovember 11, and that the Colombo dockyard drastically\nreduced its container unloading rates.  There was no impact\non electricity or water supplies.   A JVP spokesman claimed\nthat petroleum deliveries were so disrupted that the\nnation,s gasoline stations would run out of petrol in\nseveral days.   The GSL has declared on November 15 that\nfuel, water, power and port services are essential services,\nso strikes would be prohibit strikes in these areas.  Under\nthese emergency regulations, a work-to-rule action will\napparently become illegal.\n\nSome Legitimate Economic Grievances\n\n\u00b6<\/a>5.      (SBU)  The Government of Sri Lanka has not granted\nany wage increases to these workers in 2009, and had refused\nto meet with the UNP and JVP unions until the threatened\nlabor action.  The government usually provides wage increases\nin a three year collective bargaining agreement (CBA),\nalthough the government union claimed that the collective\nbargaining agreements were just informal deals.  In any case,\nthe last CBA expired in January 2009, and the GSL refused to\nprovide salary increases, initially due to the war against\nthe LTTE, and now because of the IMF agreement.  (Note.  The\nIMF letter of intent does not address salary increases, but\nmerely sets goals for the government budget deficit, and for\nthe Ceylon Petroleum Company and Ceylon Electrical Board to\nbecome breakeven enterprises by 2011.  End Note.)  The JVP-\nand UNP-affiliated unions say that inflation in 2007 and 2008\neroded their real wage rates, although now inflation is low.\n\nCOLOMBO 00001037  002 OF 002\n\n\u00b6<\/a>6.    (SBU)  The GSL has now offered a 22% salary increase to\nthe CEB, CPC, water and port workers starting January 2010.\nThe GSL provides the same salary increase equally to all\nworkers at a utility, regardless of whether they are members\nof a SLFP, JVP or UNP affiliated union.   Srinal De Mel,\nSecretary General of the UNP-affiliated union, was skeptical\nof the GSL promises, and noted that the GSL did not have any\nprovision in the supplementary budget for a salary increase.\nThe opposition-affiliated unions have been planning\nadditional labor actions.\n\nApparent Political Agenda\n\n\u00b6<\/a>7.    (SBU)  The GSL and outside observers argue that the\nprimary motivation for the strikes is political, i.e. an\neffort to embarrass and disrupt the ruling government.  The\nUNP affiliated union head disagreed, claiming that the\nmotivation was not political, although he said with a smile\nthat this was the right time for bargaining because they had\ngood leverage.  It is also noteworthy that the UNP and JVP\naffiliated unions are cooperating even as those political\nparties are considering nominating a joint presidential\ncandidate against President Rajapaksa.  The GSL is expected\nto soon announce that presidential elections will be held\nearly next year.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>8.    (SBU)  Comment.  Although there are legitimate economic\nissues, the work-to-rule slowdowns are clearly politically\nmotivated.  The best proof is that the government-affiliated\nunions demonstrated against the labor actions; by doing so\nthey were demonstrating against a salary increase for\nthemselves.  Post expects that these labor actions will\ncontinue, and probably increase, as we enter the political\nseason.  This entire episode also illustrates how Sri Lanka\nlabor unions have been primarily co-opted for political\npurposes.  End Comment.\nBUTENIS<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":1518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,1,27],"tags":[1139,1134,1386,1185,1387,1206,1377,1263],"class_list":["post-1517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-left-platform","category-news","category-wikileaks","tag-democracy","tag-human-rights","tag-jvp-unp-labour-actions","tag-patricia-a-butenis","tag-politicisation-of-labour-movements-in-sri-lankanet","tag-presidential-election-2010","tag-trade-union-actions","tag-us-embassy-cables-on-sri-lanka"],"yoast_head":"\nWikiLeaks: US believes Trade unions in SL are politicized and not like US unions - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wikileaks-us-believes-trade-unions-in-sl-are-politicized-and-not-like-us-unions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WikiLeaks: US believes Trade unions in SL are politicized and not like US unions - 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