Reports, rules and regulations, manifestos, resolutions, statements, constitutions and addresses issued by the All Ceylon United Workers Congress, the Ceylon Bank Employees' Union, the Ceylon Federation of Labour, the Ceylon Workers' Congress and the Government Clerical Service Union.
Sri Lanka: Trades Unions Material
Archive Collection
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- Advice on accessing these materials
- Cite this description
- Bookmark:http://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb101-tu.ce
- This material is held at
- ReferenceGB 101 TU.CE
- Dates of Creation1963-1992
- Name of Creator
- Language of MaterialEnglish Tamil Sinhalese
- Physical Description1 box
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
Sri Lanka had been traditionally highly unionised, particularly in the state sector, and the majority of the materials held here date from the period in the 1970s when the influence of organised labour was at its highest. Most of the items originate from umbrella organisations like the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC), whose relative militancy prior to 1977 and subsequent support for the United National Party government that came to power that year epitomises the ebbing of union power in the 1980s. Some of the material found here relates to the struggle for worker's rights in the most turbulent sector of the island's economy, tea production.
Arrangement
Alphabetically by union, then in rough chronological order
Access Information
Open to all for research purposes; access is free for anyone in higher education
Acquisition Information
Institute of Commonwealth Studies
Other Finding Aids
Records at item level on library catalogue (SASCAT)
Archivist's Note
Description compiled by Daniel Millum, Political Archives Project Officer at the Institutes of Commonwealth and Latin American Studies.
Conditions Governing Use
Copies can usually be obtained - apply to library staff.
Custodial History
The Commonwealth Political Parties Materials collection was begun in 1960-61, with special emphasis being placed then, as now, on 'primary material such as party constitutions, policy statements, convention reports and election manifestos.' (ICS, Twelfth Annual Report 1960-1961). Since then, the main method of gathering material has been to appeal directly to political parties throughout the Commonwealth, though contributions from Institute members and staff following visits to relevant countries have been significant.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected at present.