Oppressed strike from Notheren and Southern fronts

Firstly it was launched while the government restlessly campaigned against the strike claiming that it is an act of treachery.
Secondly it was the first time in history that Sinhala and Tamil workers got together to protest against the government. Not even in the great Hartal of 53, plantation sector workers participated in the protest. In 1980 too, the general strike did not spread to the plantations. This time the plantations almost came to a standstill. The Tamil workers were specially awakened by the TNA appeal. Their appeal has worked in the north and east too. That was the third feature.
Finally the non working class poor, en mass supported the strike by not coming out of their villages and neighborhoods. They did not regard seriously the claim of the government that there will be absolute normalcy on that day, and instead accepted that the strike was going to be a serious event. This lack of people in the streets was very significant and it was one reason to the apparent normalcy in transport service. On that day in the morning, the private bus owners association stated that due to the poor turn out of travelers that they were running at a loss, and it may be necessary to reduce the service by noon.

All these put together, means that it was successful event. Hence workers could march forward and expect to win in the coming period.

Departure of JVP from the government created this new situation. I have explained this development in this column in the past. They do not have a great deal of experience in trade union work. However Lal kantha in the last period did fultime trade union work. Hence he is more influenced by class struggle than any other leader.

Now they have to decide whether to go foreword on the basis of this struggle or not. In this struggle they were forced into an alliance with the TNA and the Tamil liberation movement. Strike, objectively arrested the war against the Tamil people.

In any case the JVP leaders have already observed the role played by India in this war; the grabbing of resources in the east after the so called liberation. It was a liberation that facilitated the robber barons to grab resources from the peasants and the fishermen.

On the other hand the success of plantation struggle brings in a new responsibility of taking the Rs. 500/= daily pay demand forward. While that will force all plantation unions to take up the issue one way or the other, it is a demand that attacks at the roots of the plantation management. There is necessity of a revolutionary change in the set up. Running welfare oriented government expenditure by bleeding the plantations, cannot go on for ever.

July 10 was the beginning of a movement within the working class. If Lal kantha and the JVP leaders take it forward, then it could lead to a dynamic change in politics that could force a change of tactics of Tamil liberation struggle too.

Tamil liberation movement did not bother to address the southern masses as they could not see the working class movement having any clout. They instead, totally turned towards the western liberals and democrats for help and they accepted open economics advocated by the Global powers. However the Western powers and the Indian bourgeoisie linked to them, ignored the plight of the Tamil people and backed the chauvinist regime of Mahinda. While they are thus led down by the world capitalist leaders, workers movement in the south has taken a giant step to shake the regime. Tamil liberation leaders could not ignore this turn of events and they did not. The success of plantation strike is an indication that the plantation workers while demanding Rs. 500/= daily wage, were protesting about the present chauvinist oppression.