Mahinda has pulled a magic trick with numbers, claiming to increase wages – Lal Kantha
K.D. Lal Kantha claims that although, yesterday’s budget presented to the Parliament by the Minister of Finance Mahinda Rajapaksa, tries to show a huge raise in workers’ wages it is in fact only a magic trick. 
Releasing a statement on behalf of the National Trade Union Centre, he further states public state wages have been increased by only Rs.3124 where as private sector wage increase is a mere Rs. 375.
The Press Release
In spite of the campaign by the National Trade Union Centre, to add all bonuses to the basic salary, to raise the wages by Rs.10000 and to pass laws to raise wages in the private sector, the President has only given a pay rise of Rs. 924 and a bonus of Rs. 2200. Accordingly the entire pay rise amounts to Rs.3214. This a complete deception of the working class and it is not at all sufficient to make up for the Rs.15302, the deficit of the cost of living bonus to be paid which was increased when Mahinda Rajapaksa came into power.
Although the workers demanded all the bonuses to be added to the basic salary of a public servant, only 20% that is Rs. 2346 out of the demanded Rs. 10146 is added to the salary. When a minimum of Rs.10000 was demanded the President has increased the waged by a mere Rs. 924.
Although a demand was made to increase the wages of private sector workers, by passing new laws, the President has raised the waged of private sector workers to Rs.10000 making the pay rise only a Rs.375. This is was not what private sector workers expected. Furthermore there is nothing in the Budget about the plantation workers’ wages.
Therefore this Budget has completely ignored the demands of the working class and only the public sector has been given a pay rise of Rs. 3124, pulling a magic trick with numbers.
National Trade Union Centre does not approve of this Budget and believes that the workers are left with no other option that to take severe trade union action. We urge the people to prepared for that struggle.
