Dumunda Nagamuwa, the Propaganda Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) and an executive member of the Jana Aragala Sanadhana, says that the National People’s Power government is preparing to bring a very serious amendment to the country’s labor law and that cabinet approval has now been received for this.

When we look at the amendment that the government is suddenly going to make with cabinet approval, we see that this is not a new amendment that this government has come up with, but a single labor law that was brought in during the time of former Labor Minister Manusha Nanayakkara during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government. Nagamuwa pointed out that they were hoping to turn the entire labor law in Sri Lanka upside down and loosen the rules so that employers could exploit workers even more, but the government at that time was unable to pass this single labor law due to the protest unleashed against this. 

He further said:

The JVP-led government, which fought against the Single Labor Law back then, is now preparing to pass this barbaric Labor Law brought by Ranil Manusha again. A committee has already been appointed for this purpose. In the last few elections, we have seen that the vast majority of the working people of this country voted for the current government. Before the heat of those votes has even subsided, the government is preparing to betray the rights of the working people of this country to the interests of the International Monetary Fund.

The political purpose of this proposed single labor law is related to the economic crisis that occurred in 2022. Beyond that, this amendment is related to the interventions of the International Monetary Fund. We know that the economic crisis of 2022 did not occur because of the common people. The wealthy businessmen and the political regime of this country are responsible for that crisis. They fraudulently kept billions of dollars abroad that should have come into the country. They also evaded paying billions of rupees in taxes that should have been paid. Crores of large-scale fraud, corruption, and waste of public money. These are the reasons why the economic crisis occurred. These were not crises that the workers, farmers, and fishermen of this country caused. The people of this country paid their taxes on time. They did their jobs properly.

But we know that the capitalist class and their companies did not suffer any damage due to the past economic crisis. In the past, the profits of the top 100 companies in Sri Lanka have increased by 600-700 billion. With the increase in the price of the dollar, the value of the dollars taken out of this country has increased. On the other hand, the Central Bank is paying a huge interest of up to 33% on the bonds obtained from these companies. The economic crisis of 2022 has become a treasure for these company owners. 

The damage done by the crisis is for the working people of this country. Their salaries were cut. Jobs were lost. EPF ETF funds were cut. Taxes payable on the purchase of goods and services increased. The prices of all essential goods, from lentils to sugar and books, have now increased. But their salaries have not increased. Not only that, but their salaries have also been eroded further with the decrease in the real value of their wages.

This is the reason why people have brought the Single Labor Law to exploit the working people who have shrunk from this crisis. This bill proposes to abolish the eight-hour workday that the whole world has accepted today. The working people won the eight-hour workday with great sacrifices. Less than a month after the May Day rally celebrating those sacrifices was held with pomp at Golf Face, the government is preparing to abolish the eight-hour workday of the workers. Then the employers will have the power to force people to work even for 15-20 hours a day. At this time, we ask Comrade Mahinda Jayasinghe, who has become a JVP trade union leader, how you agreed to bring the Single Labor Law that abolishes the eight-hour workday of the working people. According to Sri Lankan law, the working week of a worker is 45 hours. Eight hours five days a week and five hours on Saturday. This is how the workweek is structured. Now, with this  amendment that the government is going to make, the employer will be able to reduce this 45-hour work week to 3 or 4 days. According to the new law, you can work 16 hours a day continuously. Currently, according to Sri Lankan law, even if you add four hours of overtime, you can only work a maximum of 12 hours. After this amendment, the worker will have to work three days a week. The story that we do not see here is that with the economic hardship that the worker has faced today, this will push him to a place where he has to do two jobs. According to the current labor law, the worker was only able to sign a contract with one job. But with the new law, the opportunity to enter into employment contracts of any kind has been given. Then the underlying purpose of this law is to push the working people of this country to a place where they have to work two or three part-time jobs.

This is being prepared to add some more kerosene to the body of a man who is burning due to the economic crisis. Having to work 16 hours a day means that that man does not have time to live beyond that. This system is what Singapore, China, and Japan have today. People in those countries have no time to have fun. They have no time to spend time with their children. They have no time for socializing. They lose all that and work hard in factories. Ranil brought the Single Worker Law to create that situation in Sri Lanka.

The other thing is that the new labor law has also taken away the opportunity to form trade unions. According to the previous law, a trade union can be formed if there are seven workers. But with the single labor law, this number increases to 100. Then what happens is that industrial establishments with less than 100 employees will not be able to form trade unions. Now, even if 100 workers are gathered and a trade union is formed, they will lose the opportunity to stand up for the rights of the workers due to the single labor law. According to this law, if a strike is to be held, the employer must be informed 30 days in advance. Then, if a worker is suddenly and unjustly fired from his job, he must wait thirty days and take action against it. Otherwise, the trade union should have seen what was going to happen and obtained permission thirty days in advance. This is the kind of cunning and reckless law that this government is now ready to implement.

Now the government is saying that there are valuable demands in this cesspool dug by Ranil Manusha that can be met. That is why all the brothers and sisters are ready to go down into the cesspool. But we say that there is only cesspool in this cesspool. There are only gems in it. Therefore, do not get ready to go down into the cesspool and stink up the entire country.

Similarly, the time has come for the working people who voted for this government and the trade unions of the JVP to exercise their conscience. Did you stand with this government to pass the ill-considered labor law brought by Ranil Manusha? Ask yourself this question.
Do not deceive yourself by saying that we trust the government and that our big brothers will not do us any wrong. This government is clearly going the way of the International Monetary Fund. The amendments required for that path are in this single labor law. Therefore, it will not take the government a long time to pass this bill by showing a majority in parliament. Therefore, the working people of this country should exercise their conscience even now. Raise your voice against it before your rights are curtailed. “We propose to all workers, trade unions and everyone in the country to join in this continuous struggle until this outrageous lone worker law is repealed.”

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