Sri Lanka: Fears grow over missing trade union leader
- Post 30 January 2017
- By Athula Vithanage
A trade union leader who has been in the forefront of industrial action for over a month against Sri Lanka's main telecommunications provider has gone missing following court orders banning protests led by his union.
Wife of M Sujeewa Mangala, the Vice President of the All Ceylon Telecommunication Employees' Union, has lodged a complaint at a police station in the Colombo suburbs that her husband did not reach home on Sunday (29) as expected.
Month long protest
Telecommunication manpower workers have been launching a strike since Boxing day for their job security.
Trade union so
urces told JDS under condition of anonymity that Mangala left the capital Colombo around 1 am on Sunday.
His wife has told Piliyandala police that trade union leader last called her around 1 am to say that he will be at home around 2 am.
Sujeewa Mangala who traveled by motorcycle has not been seen since.
Job permanency
Manpower workers who are temporary employees contracted by SLT Human Capital Solutions Pvt Ltd are calling upon authorities to give them permanent employment.
Of nearly 8000 workers at Sri Lanka Telecom at least 2100 employees come under the manpower employee category.
Some of them have been in temporary employment for seven years.
The Colombo District Court and the Colombo Magistrate Court issued orders against protests conducted by trade unions of Sri Lanka Telecom and SLT Human Capital Solutions.
© JDS
