10,000 rail workers to strike today

More than ten thousand railway workers will launch a 24-hour token strike beginning midnight today in protest against what they called the Transport Minister’s failure to address their grievances.

Railway trade union spokesman S. Manawadu said last night they had handed over a petition to the minister, listing their grievances, including salary anomalies and delays in promotions, but little or no action had been taken to address them.

He said the 15 independent railway trade unions in the Union for the Protection of Workers’ Rights and Railway Property (UPWRRP) would join the strike. A Railway Control Room official said last night that train services were unlikely to be disrupted as most of the striking workers were maintenance workers.