Description

On 17th of June, a gazette notification was issued by the president declaring the supply of electricity, the supply or distribution of petroleum products and fuel, and all health services as essential, under the Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act, No. 61 of 1979. Declaration as essential services has been historically used by repressive governments in Sri Lanka to prevent trade union actions. This draconian law allows imposing 2 to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment, forfeiture of property, and removal from professional registration against those who engage in trade union actions violating the President’s order, though we have not seen use of this law in such a drastic scale in the recent past.