One of Sri Lanka’s oldest trade unions has to launched a campaign to send telegrams of protest to Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Rtd) Dr Sarath Weerasekara opposing the attempt to arrest on baseless allegations, a trade union leader who raised his voice against the militarisation of education.
According to Estate Staffs’ Union (CESU) General Secretary Robert Francis, the trade union had decided to launch this telegram campaign to oppose police attempts to arrest their president, Chathura Samarasinghe over his active involvement in the struggle to win the rights of teachers and principals.
“The telegram campaign is scheduled to commence on 11 August, and these telegrams will be sent to the minister by trade union’s members employed in the estate sector. The telegrams will read ‘stop attempting to arrest Estate Services Association President Chathura Samarasinghe based on false allegations!”
Adding that this would be the initial trade union action against the police’s unlawful deeds, CESU General Secretary Robert Francis, in a statement, warned that if the police continue to go after the trade union leader without paying heed to their voice, trade union’s members will be encouraged to resort to severe trade union actions.