2011 Sri Lanka worker protests
Series of worker protests against the Sri Lankan government in 2011 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2011 Sri Lanka worker protests were a series of non-violent and later violent protests involving workers from the Free Trade Zones (FTZ) of Sri Lanka against the central government, which lasted for two weeks between 24 May and 6 June 2011. Approximately 250,000 workers took part in the protest against the Sri Lankan government's Private Sector Pension Bill (PSBP).[1] The pension bill effectively cut wages and limited employee benefits, which had a negative effect on the FTZ workers and prompted the mass protest.[2] The protests were the largest that the FTZ had seen since its establishment in 1978.
The protests started as non-violent demonstrations in the cities of Negombo and Katunayake, however, they quickly turned violent as the Sri Lanka Police struggled to contain the large crowds. On 30 May 2011, 21-year-old Roshen Chanaka was killed by police gunfire. Chanaka's death prompted widespread discontent with the Sri Lankan Police, and as a result, the Sri Lanka Army was deployed to deal with the developing situation.[3]
The protests ended on 6 June with President Mahinda Rajapaksa announcing substantial amendments to the PSBP, which included a revised saving scheme for all workers in the FTZ.