Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena on Wednesday (Nov. 4) warned of an Opposition attempt to cripple essential services next week to coincide with the SLFP Convention at which President Mahinda Rajapaksa was likely to reveal his position on future elections.

Addressing the weekly press briefing at the Information Department, Minister Abeywardena called for public support to defeat the JVP spearheaded Opposition action expected to be launched on Tuesday (October 10).

The JVP and UNP-led United National Alliance recently vowed to disrupt essential services, including distribution of fuel to force the government to increase salaries of sectors covered by collective agreements between the government and workers. They said that workers had not received their salary increment in keeping with the agreements effective once in every three years. They are demanding back wages since January this year.

Yapa said that increments would not be given this year as per a government decision while expressing confidence in meeting the unions’ challenge.

Responding to The Island queries, Minister Abeywardena reluctantly acknowledged that special arrangements had been made to pay employees of four State-run banks though the government had earlier suspended the 2009 increments. He defended President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decision to pay a section of workers now on the warpath, thereby causing another complication. He claimed that bank employees were paid as the banking sector could afford it. Asked whether all other sectors which had been denied increments this year operated at the taxpayers’ expense, he said ‘some’.

Some of those striking workers earned huge salaries. According to him, one worker, who had been demanding a reasonable salary, was found to be receiving Rs. 183,000 on a monthly basis. Now could any thing be as unreasonable as this, he asked, attacking those who received their meals at an unbelievably cheaper rate. "Some pay just Rs. 5 or 10 for a plate of rice," he said.

Responding to JVP criticism of the allocation made for the Office of the President through the vote-on-account this week, Minister Abeywardena said that it would be unreasonable to categorise that as the President’s private funding. The minister said that the funding covered expenses incurred by all sectors coming under the President’s purview as well as maintenance of Temple Trees, Janadhipathi Mandiraya and other facilities. He also defended inviting people from many walks of life to share a meal with the President at Temple Trees though the Opposition repeatedly accused the President of spending public funds for political purposes.