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No trains on Saturdays if demands not met , say rail workers
Railway employees have threatened to stay away from work on Saturdays from next month, if the Government fails to resolve their salary issues. The warning came after Friday’s token strike which left tens of thousands of commuters stranded prompting the commuters to cling on to over crowded buses to reach their destinations.
The ususally bustling Colombo Fort Railway Station was like a ghost town. Pix by Mangala Weerasekera
However railway authorities claimed they operated 15 trains, but the public complained they had to wait for long hours at railway stations to board the trains or had to reach their destinations in crowded buses.
The railway employees claimed they had discussions for the last six months with the Government, demanding pay hikes. Talks with Government officials did not produce suitable results prompting them to launch a 24-hour strike, Janaka Fernando, Convener, Professional Trade Union Alliance told the Sunday Times.
Usually 380 trains operate per day and an estimated 500,000 people depend on railway transport.
Mr. Fernando emphasized the trade union action last Friday was a huge success with 99 percent of the train services not functioning.
“All other state sector employees had received a pay hike except us. We had no other choice other than to strike to show our strength,” he said.
Railway employees claim they are demanding a basic salary hike from the present Rs. 15,500 to Rs. 17, 125.
The employees decided not to prolong the strike considering the inconvenience caused to O/L Exam students, since most of them, especially in the outstations, travel by train.
Some 14 railway trade unions were on strike making certain demands from the Government. They earlier decided to carry out the strike last Wednesday but were called for discussions by the Transport Ministry assuring them their grievances would be resolved.
These unions had discussions with Ministry Secretary Dhammika Perera and other officials, while Mr. Perera had discussions with the Salaries and Cadre Commission. Accordingly the unions called off their strike for 48 hours last Tuesday giving time for the Salaries and Cadre Commission to consider their demands.
Once the deadline expired with no results and the strike was launched, thousands of school students and office workers were stranded in railway stations waiting for trains that did not arrive. Some of them claimed they were unaware of the strike and came to know only when they came to the stations.
The main railway stations in Colombo Fort and Maradana were deserted with stationary trains on the tracks and the system at a standstill.
An official of the Colombo Fort railway station said around 10 trains were scheduled to run on Friday night.
Disna Mangala, a working mother from Gampaha claimed she travelled mostly by train.
The mother who was taking her son to school said such strikes should be avoided as they affect the day to day life of the public.
“Even if the railway employees have problems they should have considered the inconvenience caused to the public,” she said.
K.I.C. Susantha, a state sector employee stated he was trying to catch a train to Mirigama from Colombo after his night shift was over. “I depend on railway transport. I needed to go home but I do not think I will be able to reach home in time,” he added.
Buses take a long time to reach a destination, but the train service is quicker, he said. N.M.S Bandara, a private sector employee stated he was late in arriving for work due to the strike and had to go back home as his shift was given to another employee.
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“Now I am heading home since I was late in going to my work place. I think the Government should consider the inconvenience caused to the public.
When officials knew the railway employees were going to strike alternative measures should have been put in place,” he said.
I. Kasthuri, a university student in Colombo said she goes to her home in Vavuniya every Friday by train.
Since the trains are not running she will have to travel in crowded buses spending more money than the train fare to get home, she said.
Athula Janapriya, businessman from Ragama stated that he depended mostly on railway transport since it is less costly. “When the country is developing workers should not launch such strikes and inconvenience the public,” he added.
However there was an instance where train commuters got a ‘free ride’ on a lone train put into service from Ragama Junction to Colombo Fort.
Meanwhile several unsuccessful attempts were made by the Sunday Times to contact the Transport Ministry Secretary to get his views.
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