Railway trade unions have threatened strike action from midnight today (Jun 27) against the backdrop of the Railway Services being declared an essential service.
"The strike will take place despite any objections since the government has been inconveniencing the people by making false promises," Railway Controllers' Association Chairman Lal Ariyaratne said.
Last week, these unions announed that they would engage in a 24-hour token strike on the Thursday of every week by citing anomalies in wages and several other issues.
However, State Transport Minister Ashok Abeysinghe told media that legal action would be taken against officers who fail to report to work after the gazette is signed by the President.
Accordingly, the Railways Union chairman Ariyaratne said that they would convene and decide on the future course of action if the gazette is issued today.
It is reported that nearly 400,000 people use train services daily.
A Sri Lankan man was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi airport for attempting to smuggle wildlife out of the country after three ball pythons were found hidden in his underwear, the Bangkok post reported.
The UK government has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries which allows for more garments manufactured in Sri Lanka to enter the UK tariff-free.
Read these and more on tomorrow’s edition of the Sunday Times
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