It is unfair for trade unionists to take hostage people and threaten to deprive electricity as a means to win their political demands, Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said.
Responding to journalists’ queries during an inspection tour to observe the final stages of the work of the New Kelani Bridge which is to be vested with people this month, the Minister said that the trade unionists have mixed some of their professional grievances with political agendas of the parties they belong to.
“People should understand that these unionists actually are doing politics in the guise of winning solutions for the problems in their professions. We can recall how they opposed the Eastern Terminal Development Project of the Colombo Port a few months back. The end result was Sri Lanka had to give away the Western Terminal which is larger and could have been more profitable. Trade unions have a national responsibility. Whenever there is a threat to national interests they should give priority to them over their political agendas,” the minister said.
“Now they have threatened to discontinue services in the power and energy sector and keep the country in the dark for two days over the Kerawalapitiya power plant project which could help people to obtain electricity for a lesser price. There cannot be corruption if people can get electricity cheaper. If the unionists stand for more expensive alternatives then there are questions. They try to deprive people of their chance to get electricity cheaper than now,” Minister Fernando said.