PSUNU wins unsettled demands through dialogue: Thera
The President of the Public Service United Nurses Union (PSUNU) Ven. Muruttettuwe Ananda Thera yesterday said his trade union was able to win a number of demands from the Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena.
Some of the main demands granted were to provide training to nurses on Gynaecology soon after they successfully completed their three- year training, to pay increases to Grade one nurses who had completed post preliminary nurses training, pay an allowance to nurses who work on Saturdays, a special incentive payment to nursing staff who worked during trade union action by other trade unions, assign Family Health Nurses who have completed 4 years in their ranks for nurses training with a salary increase and duty free vehicles for the principals of Nurses Training Schools.
“These demands remained in the
These demands remained in the nursing grade for many years without solutions and winning of these demands is a great victory for the nursing profession
nursing grade for many years without solutions and winning of these demands is a great victory for the nursing profession,” Ven Ananda Thera, who gives leadership to the largest nurses’ trade union that represents nearly 90% of the nurses in the public sector, said.
The strategy adopted by the PSUNU was not confrontational or challenging but friendly and cooperative. The PSUNU has realized that demands cannot be won by confrontational tactics and therefore has won all major demands for nurses in the last few decades through dialogue and compromise, Ven. Thera stressed.
He added that however, the PSUNU would never hesitate to resort to trade union action if the nurses’ issues go beyond control and the only option was to strike.
The discussion held at the Health Ministry yesterday was also attended by the Director General of Health Services, Dr. Palitha Mahipala.