Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Even though the trade unions with certain political agendas had called for a massive trade union action, they were not successful, Director General of Trade Unions to President Samana Rathnapriya said.

Practically, no trade union action had taken place during the day in any private or government-related sector, he said.

However, a number of professional trade unions from the essential services sector, including power, petroleum, water, ports, teachers, university lecturers, and banks, assured yesterday that they will engage in a countrywide one-day strike today.

Rathnapriya told the media that the health sector and the education sector were functioning as usual.

The postal services were also as usual. There has been no trade union action, but they have launched a demonstration. The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) had launched a work-to-rule campaign, but not a trade union action. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) had provided a continuous power supply, and repairs were done after breakdowns. A trade union meeting was held in the CEB headquarters by a few members applying for sick leave. The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), private buses, and trains continued to operate normally. No trade union action was launched in the ports, but they had launched a trade union action to slow down their work.

However, a trade union was organized to some extent in the banishing sector, Rathnapriya added. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)