Hundreds of people went on strike here on Tuesday to protest an electricity price hike imposed by the government but had mixed results with public officials denying any impact.

Opposition parties, trade unions attached to the ports and university teachers organized several rallies in and around the capital of Colombo and several hundred people joined these protests.

The government, however, said that a nationwide strike that aimed at crippling the country had failed to materialize.

The Government Information Department said in a statement that 93 percent of public officials had come to work, allegedly 3 percent higher than on normal days.

Previously, government ministers had urged the people not to be "duped" by the trade union action and to report to work. The local media also reported warning that government employees might lose their jobs if they joined the strike.

Transport and other essential services remained undisrupted.

However, National Trade Union Center President K.D. Lal Kantha told media that the strike had been a success and showed the vulnerability of the government since they had to resort to threats to get people to work.

"It is not just the public workers but many in the private sector also did not report to work. We have managed to keep the issue of electricity increases alive and if the government does not pay attention to this issue we will hold a continuous strike," he said.

Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA), the largest trade union for teachers, also joined the strike and refused to return to classes.

They held a separate protest, calling for the government to revamp its policies and reduce the cost of living. Endi

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