SLT workers resort to picketing for their annual bonus

Sri Lanka telecom (SLT) workers will launch an agitation campaign from tomorrow after talks on Friday with top management on their demands collapsed, trade unions of the telecom provider said.

Reasons behind the present deterioration of the company have been brought to the notice of the top management, but no action was taken to remedy the situation by the Chairman and CEO during the past few years, a leader of the Telecommunication Engineers Union (TEU) said.

He said that SLT workers and consumers have become frustrated owing to lethargic attitude and arbitrary actions of the management.

The SLT management has slashed the annual bonus and increments of workers citing financial difficulties, he said adding that the Chairman, CEO and top officials should bear the responsibility for dragging the profit making telecom giant into an abyss of losses.

At a meeting with SLT Chairman, the trade union representatives have put forward several demands including the granting of a sum of Rs.100,000 each in addition to the slashed bonus to all employees and restore their 10 per cent annual salary increment, he disclosed.

They also demanded the authorities to extend their age of retirement up to 60 years without asking them to submit their requests for extensions.

With the talks failing, employees will launch a picketing campaign opposite SLT head office in Colombo tomorrow.

Unions have also demanded to immediately stop heavy investments leading to financial instability of the institution and unproductive operations and halt the present restructuring process in the administrative structure and conduct a prompt investigation into financial frauds in the institution through unsuccessful projects.