Unemployed graduates launch fresh agitation

November 10, 2011, 10:00 pm

by Dasun Edirisinghe

Unemployed graduates would launch their newest protest campaign demanding immediate jobs from the Southern Province tomorrow (12).

Media Spokesman for the Combined Union of Unemployed Graduates Dhammika Munasinghe told The Island that their members would protest in Matara and Galle.

He said that they organized a series of public seminar in parallel to the protest and it would be held at Matara YMBA hall and Galu Urumaya hall in Galle at 2.00pm.

"Our protest in Eastern Province will be launched from Batticaloa on Sunday (13)," Munasinghe said adding that an awareness seminar will take place in Batticaloa Town hall.

According to him, the government cheated them for five years and their members as asked were involved in political work of the ruling party in every election on the promise of providing jobs.

But, there are over 40,000 graduates still awaiting jobs while more than 19,000 vacancies exist in the public sector, he said.

Munasinghe said that there were only 5000 unemployed graduates in the country when President Mahinda Rajapaksa took office in 2005 as the Chandrika Kumaratunga’s previous government provided jobs for 40,000 graduates.

"However, incumbent President Rajapaksa failed to provide jobs even for 5000 graduates so far," he said.

Munasinghe said that they were seeking an acceptable solution to their agitation from the budget to be presented in parliament on Nov. 18.