GCSU Sri Lanka

GCSU
Full name	Government Clerical Service Union
Country	Sri Lanka

Last updated May 09, 2019

The Government Clerical Service Union (GCSU) is a trade union of clerical workers who work in the public sector in Sri Lanka. This was formed in the 1920s when Sri Lanka (Ceylon) was under British colonial rule. It is a politically independent trade union but the majority of the activists were Communists early in its history.

A trade union, also called a labour union or labor union (US), is an association of workers forming a legal unit or legal personhood, usually called a "bargaining unit," which acts as bargaining agent and legal representative for a unit of employees in all matters of law or right arising from or in the administration of a collective agreement. Labour unions typically fund the formal organisation, head office, and legal team functions of the labour union through regular fees or union dues. The delegate staff of the labour union representation in the workforce are made up of workplace volunteers who are appointed by members in democratic elections.

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is the island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.

History

British colonial era

British colonialists who ruled Sri Lanka (Ceylon) from March 1815 educated the Sri Lankan people to work in the public sector because it was very difficult to bring sufficient administrative staff from the UK to administer the colony.

The schools formed by Christian missionaries taught the English language to the students and they were employed in the public sector because of their knowledge of the English language. After 1815 the British colonial rulers started educating Sri Lanka's public workers about the administration rules and regulations. They also held examinations for the clerical workers to upgrade their working level. The famous manual among the public sector workers named Administration Rules and Regulations (ARR) is still used in Sri Lanka. An examination was held for the administration officers called the Ceylon Administrative Service (CAS) exam. After passing it they were graded as CAS officers.

Before 1948

In the 1920s the clerical workers of Sri Lanka formed a union to protect their workers rights.

From beginning of the GCSU in February 1920 to the political independence of Sri Lanka in 1948 it has to struggle with British rulers in order to secure workers' rights and national independence.

From 1948 to 1977

After the political independence from British colonial rulers in February 1948 the GCSU became a more powerful force in Sri Lanka. Most of the GCSU members were members of Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CP-Moscow wing). Dr. N.M. Perera the leader of LSSP was openly supporting the activities of the GCSU by protecting workers' rights.^[1]

The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka.

The Communist Party of Sri Lanka is a communist party in Sri Lanka. At the legislative elections of 2004, the party was part of the United People's Freedom Alliance that won 45.6% of the popular vote and 105 out of 225 seats.

After 1977

After the year 1977, the situation for Sri Lanka's left-wing political movements was getting worse due to the former President of Sri Lanka Junius Richard Jayawardena's (J.R. Jayawardena) right-wing policies. But the GCSU still remained as a force among public-sector workers.

Role of I.J. Wickrema

Most powerful union

I. J. Wickrema was a promising leader of the GCSU in the 1960s. He led the GCSU during the "Golden era" in its history. The total number of members was around 30,000 out of 50,000 clerical workers in Sri Lanka in the 1960s. He organised branch committees of the union throughout the country, giving more strength to it. He was elected as secretary of the union and later became its President. During his period in office (1965–70), many incidents happened in Sri Lanka's politics and they reacted to the changes by taking the side of the worker. Anyone can refer to their official news paper "Red Tape" and get an idea of how they reacted to the changing political situation of the country.

I.J. Wickrema was a promising leader of the Government Clerical Service Union (GCSU) in Sri Lanka in the 1960s. He was a Communist ideologist and a member of Lanka Sama Samaja Party's central committee also led the GCSU's "Golden era" in its history. At that time the total number of GCSU members was around 30,000 out of 50,000 clerical workers in the 1960s.

He introduced the Death donation scheme and the Retirement donation scheme from which its members benefited at a time of grief and in the later years of their lives.

Building the headquarters

Under I.J. Wickrema's leadership the GCSU started work to build their own headquarters in front of the "Lake House" (the office of the government news papers). Famous Sri Lanka's drama player Henry Jayasena staged dramas to raise funds for the new building. Former Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mrs.Sirimavo R.D. Bandaranaike laid the foundation stone for the building. Any one who visits the city of Colombo can see the GCSU headquarters building near the Beira lake.

Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, commonly known as Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was a Sri Lankan stateswoman. She became the world's first non-hereditary female head of government in modern history, when she was elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 1960. She served three terms: 1960–1965, 1970–1977 and 1994–2000.

Leaving the GCSU

I.J. Wickrema left the union at the end of 1970 as he was appointed as a CAS officer. The 1977 government of Mrs.Sirimavo was over and the new United National Party government came into power under the leadership of Junius Richard Jayawardena. He was subjected to political revenge and his close relatives worked in the public sector were transferred to difficult areas. Finally he was sent to the CAS officers pool giving him mental agony and a year later he was retired. He died in late 1979 and his funeral march was organised under the banner of the GCSU.

The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP, is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main ruling party in the government of Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe. The UNP is considered to have right-leaning, pro-capitalist, and liberal conservative policies.

GCSU martyrs

In June 1947 V. Kandasamy a Tamil national, became victim to the atrocities of the British colonial rulers and sacrificed his young life to the bullet, on their way to Kolonnawa after a general strike meeting at Hyde Park Colombo.

In May 1989 M.K. Meththananda was shot by insurgents when he was at home in Tangalle, a village of deep south. He supported Provincial Councils, which were formed after the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord signed in July 1987.

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References

↑ "Thambimuthu Poobalan". Daily Mirror-Sri Lanka. May 22, 2006.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

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[GCSU-Thambimuthu-1] "Thambimuthu Poobalan". Daily Mirror-Sri Lanka. May 22, 2006.^{[ permanent dead link ]}