By: Isuru Parakrama
May 01, Colombo (LNW): President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his official message marking International Workers’ Day, asserted that the current administration has successfully laid the foundation for the country’s economic revival after decades of mismanagement, nepotism, and corruption.
His statement underscored the government’s ongoing efforts to rebuild the nation through policies aimed at equity, inclusion, and social transformation.
Reflecting on the origins of May Day, President Dissanayake paid tribute to the workers of Chicago’s Haymarket Square in 1886, whose demands for an eight-hour workday became the catalyst for the global labour movement.
He emphasised that Sri Lanka today stands at a similar turning point—one led by the will of the people to dismantle entrenched systems of privilege and reclaim governance for the broader public good.
The President highlighted several of the government’s early achievements, including what he described as landmark reforms: a significant increase in the minimum salary for public sector employees and a wide range of support schemes for farmers, fisherfolk, women, students, youth, and small-scale business owners.
These measures, he claimed, marked a departure from past policies that largely benefited a narrow elite.
He acknowledged the structural challenges inherited by his administration, including an economy left in ruins by years of political and fiscal mismanagement. However, he asserted that the government had managed to stabilise the situation and put in motion a recovery plan with visible progress.
Notably, Dissanayake reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving the living standards of plantation workers and ensuring their long-overdue civil rights are protected.
Beyond national concerns, the President’s address also looked to the future of global workers’ rights, calling for a new era in human rights that would include digital access, environmental protections, and civil liberties fit for the 21st century.
He pointed out that the evolving nature of global challenges necessitates an updated international framework—one that expands on the principles set out in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
He further acknowledged the burden borne by Sri Lankan workers in navigating the ongoing economic recovery, describing them as the backbone of the nation’s resilience.
In closing, he invited the working people of the country to stand together in unity, not only to defend their own rights but also to contribute to the larger mission of building a dignified, equitable society.
