state workers in Sri Lanka, including health, railway and port personnel, embarked on Wednesday on One day strike to protest against sharp increases in Income taxes and electricity fees, as the island nation awaits approval of International Monetary Fund (IMF) package to help bankrupt it economy.
Most government Hospitals across the country have stopped their outpatient clinics because doctors, nurses, and pharmacists have been on He hits. The railways were running fewer trains and armed soldiers Guarded vehicles and train stations for fear of vandalism.
Trade unions say the increase in Taxes and electricity charges have hit they hard Amid difficulties caused by the worst economic crisis in the country. They have threatened to extend the strike indefinitely government fails to meet their demands.
the government says It had to raise taxes to boost state revenues and electricity fees to cover production costs, key basic requirements for unlocking $2.9 billion proposed for the International Monetary Fund package. Authorities say they managed to get some trains and most state banks running despite the strike.
said the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva last Fund week board We will meet on March 20 to look at final consent of Sri Lanka bailout package After China offered decisive debt Restructuring guarantees.
Sri Lanka announced last year Payment was suspended of its foreign loans amid a resulting severe foreign currency crisis in deficiency of Fuel, food, medicine and cooking gas, all along with long power cutbacks. crisis led to street Protests that forced then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, since he took office over last July, I managed to finish power cuts and reduce deficiency.
Center bank She said the country has reserves improved And the Sri Lankan rupee started to appreciate after the crash last year. Center bank tear back controls of foreign currency trade from black marketmonetary power says.
but, critics reinforcement says of The currency may be linked to import controlsand that it is bound to weaken once the country reopens for imports.
Wickremesinghe told Parliament last The week that needs tough fixes remain on turn with International Monetary Fund program. Avoid them, as the state did on 16 previous occasion, can spell dangerhe addedindicating that any collapse would force Sri Lanka to pay 6-7 billion dollars of foreign debt all year Until 2029.
However, it is found no support From the opposition parties and public and who He says he is protecting the deposed Rajapaksa family of allegations of Corruption they say caused economic crisis, in Back for they support for his presidency.
