All island train strike imminent
BY UMESH MORAMUDALI-October 6, 2014
Train services are likely to come to a standstill from 9 October due to the countrywide strike called by railway employees demanding the resolution of their salary anomalies
Joint trade union alliance (JTUA) Convener Janaka Fernando said that despite having...
..many discussions with the Transport Ministry officials, for three years, the salary anomalies of railway employees remain unsettled.
Fernando added that they had several discussions with the Presidential Secretary, Lalith Weeratunga, officials from the Salaries and Cadre Commission, but all those were futile.
Accordingly, nearly 3,000 railway employees, including engine drivers, railway controllers, railway guards, station masters, signal controllers and many other railway employees are to join in the strike.
"We requested the government to increase our basic salary to
Rs 16,350 and increase the allowances parallel to that," he stressed.
Fernando also criticized the Transport Ministry Secretary, Dhammika Perera, for not fulfilling promises made by him.
"On several occasions Secretary to the Transport Ministry and its officials promised that our salary anomalies would be settled, but those were never fulfilled," he added.
Railway employees have been demanding a resolution to their salary anomalies for nearly three years and engaged in several token strikes. On 9 July 2013, train services came to standstill due to the countrywide strike launched by railway trade unions.
Numerous efforts to contact Sri Lanka Railways General Manager, B. A. P. Ariyaratne and Transport Minister, Kumara Welgama failed.
BY UMESH MORAMUDALI-October 6, 2014
Train services are likely to come to a standstill from 9 October due to the countrywide strike called by railway employees demanding the resolution of their salary anomalies
Joint trade union alliance (JTUA) Convener Janaka Fernando said that despite having...
..many discussions with the Transport Ministry officials, for three years, the salary anomalies of railway employees remain unsettled.
Fernando added that they had several discussions with the Presidential Secretary, Lalith Weeratunga, officials from the Salaries and Cadre Commission, but all those were futile.
Accordingly, nearly 3,000 railway employees, including engine drivers, railway controllers, railway guards, station masters, signal controllers and many other railway employees are to join in the strike.
"We requested the government to increase our basic salary to
Rs 16,350 and increase the allowances parallel to that," he stressed.
Fernando also criticized the Transport Ministry Secretary, Dhammika Perera, for not fulfilling promises made by him.
"On several occasions Secretary to the Transport Ministry and its officials promised that our salary anomalies would be settled, but those were never fulfilled," he added.
Railway employees have been demanding a resolution to their salary anomalies for nearly three years and engaged in several token strikes. On 9 July 2013, train services came to standstill due to the countrywide strike launched by railway trade unions.
Numerous efforts to contact Sri Lanka Railways General Manager, B. A. P. Ariyaratne and Transport Minister, Kumara Welgama failed.
