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International Workers’ Day marked across Sri Lanka with marches, rallies

Published

12 months ago

May 1, 2024

nipuni

Today, May 1 marks International Workers’ Day, commemorating the historical fight for workers’ rights and the establishment of the eight-hour workday.

This year, main political parties, independent groups, and trade unions are proudly participating in activities to celebrate International Workers’ Day.

Around 40 marches and rallies are scheduled in Colombo and other major cities across Sri Lanka.

Notably, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna at Borella Campbell Ground, the United National Party at P.D. Sirisena Stadium, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya at Colombo Chatham Street, and the National People’s Power in Colombo, Jaffna, Matara, and Anuradhapura have organised meetings. Additionally, groups like the Sri Lanka Sama Samaja Party in Nugegoda, Frontline Socialist Party at Hyde Park Stadium, Sri Lanka Freedom Party in Gampaha, Communist Party of Sri Lanka in Kirulapone, United Socialist Party at Kosgas Handiya, and Ceylon Workers’ Congress in Kotagala are holding May Day parades and meetings.

The origins of International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, trace back to May 1, 1886, when workers in Chicago protested for an eight-hour workday, sparking significant labour actions.

This day evolved into a global observance for workers’ rights following the tragic events at Chicago’s Haymarket Square, where a rally on May 4 turned violent after a bomb was thrown at the Police, resulting in the deaths of several Police officers and an unknown number of civilians.

This incident led to the arrest and subsequent execution of several labour leaders, known as the Haymarket Martyrs, who became symbols of the labour rights movement.

Sri Lanka began officially recognizing Labour Day in 1927, and the first major May Rally in Ceylon started at Price Park in Colombo, concluding at Galle Face Green in 1933.

Labour struggles intensified in the late 1940s, with significant leadership emerging from those involved in these movements.

In 1956, under the coalition government of Prime Minister S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Philip Gunawardena’s Lanka Sama Samaj Party, May Day was celebrated with the colours red and blue and declared a national holiday for the first time.

Today, we commemorate the 138th anniversary of International Labour Day.

News

Major reforms planned for bus transport

Published

8 hours ago

April 28, 2025

editor

Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, recently held a special discussion with officials from the National Transport Commission (NTC), the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), and the Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authorities across nine provinces. The meeting led to several key decisions aimed at modernizing and improving the country’s road passenger transport sector.

Among the major initiatives discussed were:

Immediate implementation of an integrated bus timetable for the Puttalam route.
Launch of a pilot project on Route 138, where all buses operate under a single association with profit-sharing arrangements.
Installation of GPS and CCTV systems in buses for improved monitoring and safety.
Development of an online ticket booking system in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Technology.
Introduction of random drug and alcohol testing for bus drivers.
Mandatory issuance of bus tickets through electronic ticketing machines (implementation phase in progress).
Formulation of specifications for buses used in passenger transport.
Mandatory seatbelt usage for bus drivers.
Identification of new roads/routes for the addition of new bus services.
Provision of WhatsApp numbers for passengers to report complaints about buses, with numbers prominently displayed inside buses.
Minister Rathnayake emphasized the need for swift action to implement these measures and instructed officials to continuously monitor and report on the progress of each initiative.

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

News

Chongqing gears up for 25th Lijia International Intelligent Equipment expo

Published

10 hours ago

April 28, 2025

editor

The international internet celebrity city of Chongqing in China will host a grand equipment manufacturing industry event – the 25th Lijia International Intelligent Equipment Exhibition 2025 next month.

The Expo will be held at the Chongqing International Expo Center from May 13th to 16th, 2025, attracting exhibitors and professional visitors from all over the world to discuss and showcase the latest technologies and products in the equipment manufacturing industry.

This exhibition, spanning across 100,000 sq. meters will bring together 1,400 globally renowned enterprises which will showcase their intelligent manufacturing equipment and technology, particularly the latest achievements, cutting-edge technologies, and high-end products in the fields of machine tools, industrial automation and robots, tool holders and measuring tools, sheet metal, die-casting casting, molds, rubber and plastic.

The 2025 Lijia Exhibition will also create multiple themed exhibition islands showcasing manufacturing powerhouses of China, which will comprehensively showcase solutions to industry pain points through on-site demonstrations, technical explanations, and physical displays.

In addition, the exhibition will also hold over 100 industry conferences and events. The main forum, “FIM-Future Intelligent Manufacturing Conference,” focuses on future factories, with the theme of AI+manufacturing. Industry experts are expected to provide suggestions and recommendations for manufacturing transformation.

Organizers point out that for global manufacturing enterprises, the expo is not only an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and products in China’s equipment manufacturing industry, but also also an important platform for gaining a deeper understanding of the Chinese market and expanding international cooperation. It will also open up opportunities to engage in in-depth exchanges and cooperation with Chinese counterparts, and to jointly promote the development and prosperity of the global equipment manufacturing industry.

News

RW issues special statement after exiting CIABOC (Video)

Published

11 hours ago

April 28, 2025

editor

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has left the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) after providing a statement today (April 28).

Soon afterwards, he had also made a special statement in this regard.

(Video : VoiceTube)

(Previous news 2025 April 28 – 9.20.a.m.)

Ex-President Ranil to appear before CIABOC today

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to appear before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) today (April 28) at 9.30 a.m.

He has been summoned to record a statement over the statement he had made on MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake.

Former President Wickremesinghe, who was initially summoned to the CIABOC on April 17 but requested a postponement. He had requested a date after April 27th to appear before CIABOC, citing that his lawyer Ronald Perera is currently abroad.

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