JVP Parliamentarian and Chairman, National Trade Union Centre (NTUC), K.D. Lalkantha at a press briefing held in Colombo yesterday urged the government to pay the CoL arrears together with the proposed salary hike immediately or face serious consequences.

"We have already informed our plans to President Mahinda Rajapakse and if we do not get a positive response before the forthcoming budget we will be compelled to launch a one day token strike followed by a general strike to win our demands," Lalkantha said.

Lalkantha said the joint trade union action with the public, private and estate sectors would bring the country to a complete standstill, which would badly affect the country's limping economy.

"We are able to cripple the economy in the event the government fails to implement our proposals," Lalkantha added.

Meanwhile Lalkantha further stated that since the government has failed to control the sky rocketing CoL, the NTUC has requested the President to mediate with the private sector to get a salary hike for the private sector employees as well.

"If the CoL is badly felt for public, private and estate sectors then all alike should get a salary increment in addition to the CoL allowance. It is unfair by the private sector employees to receive a lesser salary than that of the government sector," Lalkantha said.

"Although the government claims that they could not increase salaries and pay the CoL arrears due to high war expenditure, then how could they spend millions of rupees on ministers and for their perks? If the government could increase the salary of a parliamentarian from Rs. 21,100 to Rs. 54, 000 and a minister's salary from Rs. 26,000 to Rs. 65,000 and allocate Rs. 100,000 for each minister for an official residence then why cannot they increase the salary of the working class by a mere Rs. 3000 and pay them each the CoL arrears which amount to Rs. 14,165 up to end July this year," Lalkantha asked.

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