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4-hour strike at Colombo port causes Rs. 300 mn. loss

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A four-hour strike by employees at the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) and the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port last night has resulted in an estimated loss of at least Rs. 300 million, a senior official of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) said.

He said the strike, which began at 8:00 p.m. yesterday and continued till midnight, was triggered by a controversial decision by the Ports Authority to cut incentive allowances paid to essential employees who worked on April 12 and 13, dates that coincided with the Vesak Poya holidays.

The workers resumed duties at around 12:30 a.m. today after the SLPA administration reissued a letter assuring that overtime allowances will be paid according to the previous system.

At the time the strike began, six cargo ships were anchored at the affected terminals, and all operations were brought to a complete halt, the official said.

The dispute stems from a decision by a senior SLPA official to limit the overtime allowances for work done on the Poya day (April 12) to Rs. 10,000 and the following day (April 13) to Rs. 5,000. This move broke with long-standing practices regarding holiday compensation for essential workers.

The Ports Authority official further alleged that the decisions were taken unilaterally by a senior administrator who has previously been criticised for making media statements regarding workers’ salaries.

The temporary halt in port operations has sparked renewed concerns over the administration’s handling of labour

relations and the broader financial impact of such disruptions on the national economy.

(dailymirror.lk)

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Heavy rainfall expected in some areas today

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The Department of Meteorology says that several spells of showers will occur in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts today (June 02).

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.

Fairly strong winds of about 30-40 kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Hambantota and Trincomalee districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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UN Rights chief türk to visit Sri Lanka this month

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The United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk will visit
Sri Lanka this month or early July, a Foreign Ministry source confirmed. No dates have been finalised for the visit, though the government has agreed to the visit by Mr. Turk.

It’ll be the first time in nine years that a UN Human Rights Commissioner will be visiting Sri Lanka, the last being Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in February 2016 during Maithripala Sirisena’s presidencyMr. Turk, an Austrian national who took up his duties in October 2022, will visit at a time the government grapples with how it will address human rights concerns raised by the international

community.

In his report to the UN body in August last year, just ahead of
Sri Lanka’s presidential and parliamentary elections, Mr. Turk said the newly elected government should recommit to addressing the root causes of conflict and undertake fundamental constitutional and institutional reforms to address the accountability gap and work towards reconciliation.

These include the immediate moratorium on the Prevention of Terrorism Act and assurances that any replacement legislation is consistent with international human rights law, repeals or amends existing laws or proposed laws that unduly restrict the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, association, and peaceful assembly, including the Online Safety Act and the ICCPR Act.

Mr. Turk’s predecessor Michelle Bachelet requested a visit to
Sri Lanka, but the matter was put under consideration, and the visit did not materialise.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) set up the Sri Lanka accountability project, an external evidence-gathering mechanism within the OHCHR, during Ms Bachelet’s period in office, a move strongly opposed by the government.

The OHCHR says that as of July 5, 2024, the repository established within the framework of the OHCHR project comprises 96,215 items and contains information from more than 470 different sources (more than 220 witnesses and 250 organisations), including international and multilateral organisations.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who addressed the high-level segment of the UNHRC in March this year, rejected the OHCHR Sri Lanka project and outlined government plans for a credible and sound domestic process to address accountability issues in the country.

“We will ensure that the domestic mechanisms and processes established to address challenges emanating from the conflict will continue their work in an independent and credible manner within the constitutional framework,” the minister told the UNHRC.

Despite a visit by the Human Rights Commissioner, the government will remain opposed to any international legal options to advance accountability in Sri Lanka and maintain that there are adequate domestic mechanisms to address accountability issues.

(sundaytimes.lk)

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Trade unionist Ranjan Jayalal takes helm as Kaduwela Mayor

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Prominent trade union leader Ranjan Jayalal has officially been appointed as the new Mayor of the Kaduwela Municipal Council.

Jayalal, a key member of the Ceylon Electricity Board Employees’ Union and a strong advocate for labor rights, was nominated by the National People’s Power (NPP) following their recent victory at the local government elections.

His appointment was formally confirmed through the government gazette issued by the Election Commission on May 31.

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