GOVERNMENT HOSTELS FACE CLOSURE DUE TO SALARY ANOMALIES

The Sri Lanka Non –Academic Employees’ Joint Association has warned that student’ hostels in teacher training colleges, national colleges of education and national schools will have to be closed unless, the recommendation made by the Ministry of Education to adjust the salary anomalies of Hostel wardens and Assistants were implemented immediately.

The Convener of the joint trade union association A.k.w.wijesekara said it was the responsibility of the National Salaries and Cadre Commission and the Director General of Establishment to implement the Ministry recommendations.

He elaborated that the,wardens and Assistant wardens of student hostels in 20 national colleges of education, four teacher training colleges, and several National Schools had been subject to serious injustice due to the neglect of implementing the Ministry recommendations.

The “National Salaries and Cadre Commission has approved a cadre of 407 hostel wardens but at present only 170 officers are in service.

This shortage has burdened the officers with a 24 hour service which is contrary to the recruitment procedure of the Public Service Commission. Meanwhile the strength of National Colleges of Education has increased by 50 percent with the admission of students based on the results of GCE

Advanced Level in 2015 and 2016 in one batch. However the hostel wardens and the assistant wardens are not entitled to overtime or any special allowance for working on ‘‘public holidays” He said.

He requested the Salaries Commission and the Director General of Establishment to implement the Ministry recommendation failing with the employees concerned would resort to trade union action.

The “National Salaries and Cadre Commission has approved a cadre of 407 hostel wardens but at present only 170 officers are in service