"Striking Sri Lankan Workers Continue to Protest as Negotiations Break Down", 15 March 2024

One month after workers started to protest outside a the Sumithra Group factory at Hasalaka, their calls for support were amplified as more than 200 workers from different areas raised their voices in a belated women’s day meeting of unity.

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[...] union members were physically assaulted on Feb. 9 and forcefully prevented from attending a union meeting scheduled that day. “Management physically assaulted some of them, including the branch union office bearers, severely injuring one woman worker, while forcefully taking them inside the factory to make them sign resignation letters. Union members were forced to file a police complaint,” he said.

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Although the strike began because of a disagreement over an increase in salary, issues are adding up on both sides.