Galle district UNP MP Wijayapala Hettiarachchi said today that MP Mahinda Rajapaksa who brought in the Workers' Charter in 1994 did not implement it even after he got two-third majority and ruled for ten years.
“He is now trying to hold the May Day rally for working class by shedding crocodile tears,” the UNP MP alleged. “The former President has no rights whatsoever to represent the working class and speak on behalf of them,” he added.
Addressing the media at a briefing in Sirikotha, he said previous government had shot at and killed fisherman Anthony during a protest demanding fuel concession in Chilaw in 2012. “It was our government that granted the biggest reduction in the fuel prices,” he said.
“Private sector worker Roshan Chanaka was killed during the protest a Free Trade Zone in Katunayake for demanding higher wages and pension scheme. But, when we came to power, we increased salaries of the public servants by Ra.10,000 and private sector workers’ salary by Rs.2,500.’
“Today, they are trying to coerce innocent working people to come to Galle Face green. They did not even think that we would even give them the Galle Face green for their May Day rally. Now, because they know that they cannot fill the Galle Face green, they are saying various things.”
“The UNP has always held Sri Lanka’s biggest May Day rally every May 1,” he further said. “We have already planned to hold an unprecedented May Day rally on Monday. We will show people’s power gathered around the UNP during the May Day rally on Monday. During the previous regime, we could not even express our views. Today that is no longer the case and everybody’s rights have been protected,” he further said.