The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Students for Social Equality (ISSE) in Sri Lanka will hold a public meeting in Colombo on May 1 to mark international workers’ day.

Workers throughout the world are confronted with intensifying attacks on jobs, wages, living and working conditions and democratic rights as governments impose the burden of the deepening economic crisis on their backs. This has intensified the class struggle worldwide as workers fight to defend their rights.

The global economic breakdown is fuelling inter-imperialist rivalries. Having installed a puppet regime in Libya, the US and other Western powers are seeking to force similar regime change in Syria and preparing for military aggression against Iran.

South Asia is directly affected by these global processes. India and Sri Lanka are becoming embroiled in the aggressive US confrontation with China and have been hit by the global recession. Last month, the Sri Lankan government deepened its onslaught on working people, introducing further IMF-dictated austerity measures and foreshadowing greater spending cuts.

The only way forward for workers and young people lies in the struggle to abolish the capitalist system, the root cause of imperialist war and the mounting assault on their rights. What is required is a unified political movement of the international working class based upon the perspective of world socialism. Only the SEP and its sister parties of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), the world Trotskyist movement, are fighting for this perspective. We urge workers, youth and intellectuals to attend our meeting and participate in this vital discussion.

Main Speaker: Wije Dias, SEP general secretary
Venue: New Town Hall, Green Path, Colombo 7
Date and Time: May 1, 3 p.m.