by Himangi Jayasundere
Peoples Alliance MP and trade union activist, Alavi Mowlana yesterday led a delegation of PA trade union leaders to a meeting with the chairman of the Human Rights Commission to seek ‘remedial action’ for about 1000 PA supporters employed in the state sector who are being debarred from their work places allegedly by the main UNP trade union the Jatika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS).

Members of the Joint Council Trade Union Organisation who met with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) Chairman, Faiz Mustafa comprised unions leaders of the Ceylon Transport Board (CTB), the Railway Department and the Petroleum Corporation.

The majority of those affected totalling around 300 are from the CTB.

"Unless we move quickly they are going to lose their places of employment" Mr Mowlana said speaking about the workers, whome he claimed would be issued vacation of post letters if they continued to be debarred from their work places and prevented from reporting to work.

Mr. Mowlana said the employees who are from the public, government and corporate sectors have been threatened, manhandled, assaulted and debarred from work.

Some of them have made complaints to police stations but some police stations have refused to accept their complaints he claimed.

"In 1994 when we won the election, we did not discriminate nor penalise any workers of the UNP. Even after the year 2000 election we did not punish pro-UNP unions" the former media minister said.

"This is the first time we have been penalised to this extent since 1977" he claimed.

He said that they hoped that remedial action would follow after they submitted their grievances to the commission last afternoon.

According to him the HRC has requested those affected to hand in filled forms explaining the nature of the discrimination suffered by them. The PA unions are to hand over collective complaints to the HRC on January 4. The HRC has also fixed an inquiry for January 22.

Meanwhile PA leaders have also sought a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the issue of the harassment of party members Mr. Mowlana said.

The PA, MP made a request for an appointment with the chairman of the HRC last week over the issue of a large number of PA supporters in the state sector being debarred from their places of work by UNP unions. Mr.Mowlana was expected to provide the HRC with an appraisal of the post election victimisation of PA supporters in the Public, government and corporate sectors.