Teachers and principals threaten to strike if President does not respond

If we do not receive a favourable reply from the President on Monday the union would engage in another countrywide protest on February 26, by applying for medical leave

Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) yesterday said they would launch a countrywide strike if they did not receive a favourable reply before next Thursday (20).

Speaking to the Daily Mirror CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said they had discussions with the President’s Secretary.

A discussion was held between the Additional Secretary to the President Rohana Abeyaratne and the union following a protest march from Colombo Fort.

Twenty-six Teachers’ and Principals’ Associations staged a protest march to the President’s Secretariat from the Colombo Fort Railway Station yesterday blaming the government for not taking action to issue the circular to pay interim allowances until the removal of their salary anomaly.

Mr. Abeyaratne said the request made by the CTU will be handed over to the President on Monday (17).

“If we do not receive a favourable reply from the President on Monday the union would engage in another countrywide protest on February 26, by applying for medical leave,” he said.

“The government so far has not taken any decision over the salary anomalies since 1997 and therefore, we request all teachers and principals to be present in front of the Fort Railway Station to participate in the protest demonstration, the union secretaries said.

Also, the unions had sent a written request to the Education Ministry requesting to issue the interim circular before February 3.

However, the Education Ministry had not taken action over issuing of the circular so far, they said.

The government should take responsibility for any disturbance to education in the schools resulting from yesterday’s demonstration in Colombo, the secretaries said.