Union thugs tried unsuccessfully to prevent members of the SEP from distributing its statement, explaining the treacherous role of the unions and the need for new organisations controlled by workers themselves.
The trade unions have called limited and scattered protests in a bid to defuse the mounting anger in the working class over the government’s ruthless budget attacks on jobs, conditions and essential services.
On Wednesday, a fraudulent vote is taking place in parliament for a new president, amid continuing anti-government protests now demanding the resignation of Wickremesinghe after Rajapakse fled the country.
Having been Sri Lankan prime minister six times since 1993, Wickremesinghe is a long-standing pro-US defender of bourgeois rule and a committed supporter of the International Monetary Fund austerity measures.
The unions called the protests in a bid to deflect the rising anger among workers, poor and youth over the ever-increasing prices and shortages of essentials.