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Union anger comes to a boil over Budget promises
Fed up with broken promises of fund allocations in previous budgets public and private sector employees are launching countrywide protests in hopes of winning a series of demands from the October 24 Budget.
The desolate Colombo Fort railway station during the strike. Right: the Badulla railway station Pix by Indika Handuwela and Palitha Ariyawansa
The workers, backed by trade unions, say they will take to the streets or refrain from work until the Government meets their demands.
Settlement of salary anomalies, pay rises and allowances are the central claims.
In addition to these they are also urging the Government to improve working standards, provide health aid, unfreeze promotions and gazette the Rs. 280 cost of living unit.
The most recent strike that left thousands stranded this week was launched by Sri Lanka Railways workers. It was called off following an order issued by the Colombo District Court on Friday.
Headed by the Professional Railway Trade Union Alliance (PRTUA), nearly 95 per cent of the railway workers went on strike from midnight on 
Wednesday demanding pay hikes, saying the basic salary of a worker should be increased from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 16,350.
“We had talks with Finance Ministry and Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundara this Thursday. The discussion collapsed when the secretary failed to provide us with a solution,” said All-Ceylon Railway Trade Union General Secretary S.P. Withanage, who represents a member union of the PRTUA.
Mr. Withanage said Mr. Jayasundara had asked for a week to consider issues but the union had not wished to call off its strike until it received a salary increment promised as long ago as the 2006 Budget.
They had been forced to end the strike after the court order.
While the strike was in progress the government had tried to keep trains running but only 2 per cent of the network was functioning by Friday morning. In addition to this, night mail trains were cancelled.
The Sri Lanka Teachers’ Union (SLTU) also began industrial action this week when more than 200 teachers from in and around Jaffna assembled in front of the Jaffna CentralBus Stand on Monday, demanding salary increases and promotions allocated in previous budgets but not given.
They also asked that all vacancies for principals in the Northern Province be filled by next year, that circulars should be issued in Tamil as well as in Sinhalese, and that the Palali Teachers’ College, currently occupied by the military, be handed over to the Education Department.
SLTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said teacher promotions had not been made since 2010, and promotions of principals since 2008.
He said the SLTU strongly opposed Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena’s intention to award promotions following interviews to be held in all schools.
“Does this Minister know what he is doing or how the education system works? You can’t give promotions like baking buns. It should be done systematically. We all know that this promotion scheme won’t be just and fair,” Mr. Stalin argued.
He pointed out that the UNESCO World Teachers’ Day theme for 2014, “Invest in the future, invest in teachers” focused on making a positive environment for the teachers. Teachers mould the future of a country and they should be treated well, Mr. Stalin said.
The next stage of the SLTU campaign will be a protest in Anuradhapura this coming Thursday and a final protest will be held in Colombo with teachers, principals and other government workers around the country.
Also threatening to join a mega protest campaign on October 21 in front of the Fort Railway Station is the Private and Public Sector Trade Union Alliance (PPSTUA).
“We have already discussed with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and on Tuesday we hope to have talks with members of the United National Party and other parties. We hope to launch a massive protest because we want relief for our agony,” PPSTUA convener Saman Rathnapriya said.
The union is demanding an increase of basic salary by Rs. 10,000, payment of the Rs. 280 CoL unit, the private sector base salary to be Rs. 15,000, the inclusion of all allowances tied to the salary and job tenure for all contract workers. He said at least 45 trade unions would join the planned protests.
Mr. Rathnapriya, who is also the president of the Government Nursing Officials’ Association urged the Treasury to increase nurses’ salaries along with pledges given in previous budgets, bring in a special salary scheme for nurses with degrees, rectify the promotions scheme and give permanent jobs to nurses working on contracts.
He threatened a nationwide strike if these demands were not met.
Meanwhile the General Secretary of the All-Island Pensioners Federation Ariyasena Vidanapathirana, who launched a pensioners’ protest on Monday in Galle said the next demonstration would be in Moneragala tomorrow.
They demand an increase in pensions, the removal of the pension scheme amendment introduced in 2005 and 2010 and payment of the CoL unit to all pensioners.
A two-day strike took place this week in the Welikada prison, Colombo Remand Prison and Magazine Prison with nearly 500 prison officials stopping work. As a result, transport of inmates to courts was disrupted.
The guards demanded the suspension of arbitrary transfers and equal treatment for both Prison Intelligence Unit officers and other prison workers.
| Education leads new committee’s must-do listEducation leads new committee’s must-do list.President Mahinda Rajapaksa has appointed a Cabinet sub-committee to look into private and public sector grievances, Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, said.
Issues to be taken up by the committee include the cost of living, good governance and public administration. The Minister said the committee would resolve the issue of teachers who have been working as acting principals for years. “Also there have not been any exams in the education services and this is to be rectified,” he said. Some administrative issues had been lingering for some time because some public servants were unwilling to move forward, Mr. Rambukwella said, adding that there were many issues, chiefly in the education sector, that the committee would examine. Ministers named to the committee are Basil Rajapaksa, Bandula Gunawardena, Lakshman Seneviratne, Johnston Fernando, Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa. |