Brace for yet more union gripes and disruptions to life and work

Schools, hospitals and transport services including railway and buses could face serious disruptions once again, when planned strikes resume after the Sinhala Hindu New Year celebrations are over.

Some trade unions that organised strikes before the nationsl cultural festival are also expected to renew their agitations.

The Government Nursing Officers Association ( GMNOA) has threatened to halt work within two weeks if demands to settle promotions and salary issues are not met.

The nurses union president, Mr Saman Ratnapriya said, a first promotion for a nurse used to be granted after five years of employment, and now it has been extended to 10 years.

He also urged the government to increase the salaries of some 400 graduate nursing officers serving in national hospitals.

In a bid to resolve public sector salary disputes, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed a 15- member Special Salaries Commission led by S. Ranugge last year. However, unions claim that the commission’s report has not yet been implemented.

“We will strike if the Ranugge Commission report is not implemented within the next two weeks,” Mr Ratnapriya told the Sunday Times.

Education trade unions are planning a sick day agitation when the second term begins in schools.

“Teachers will go on two days of sick leave from May 9 because of certain salary anomalies that have existed since 1997,” Ceylon Teachers Union chairman, Joseph Stalin, said.

He added that the strike would be based on three other demands, wh i ch include increasing the budgetary allocation for the education sector, re- introducing the pension scheme for teachers and reducing their unnecessary workload.

“Government schools won’t have to charge admission fees from students if the government allocates six percent of the GDP to the education sector,” the general secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Services Union, Mahinda Jayasinghe, said.

He said that 34 unions have collectively informed the Education Ministry of the strike.

“We are ready to call off the strike if the ministry responds to our needs before May 09. However, if they fail to do so, we would go ahead ,’’ Mr. Jayasinghe said.

Bus and railway trade unions have their own gripes.

“We will launch an indefinite strike from May 1 over certain irregularities concerning 13 appointments to the Railways Department ,” Railway Locomotive Engine Drivers Union, secretary, Indika Dodangoda, said.

He claimed that these appointments are directed by the Public Service Commission and are in violation of the recruitment procedures.

Mr. Dodangoda said there were also issues regarding promotions at the department. Bus unions are agitating against the heavy fines on motor traffic offences.

“How can an ordinary bus driver survive if Rs 25,000 is imposed as a fine on a minor offence?” the All Island Bus Operators Association President Stanley Fernando argued.

Many transport-related unions will demand that these fines be reduced.

However, the All Ceylon Bus Passengers Union has condemned the recent strikes following the revision of fines.

“If bus operators do not want to pay fines then they must drive according to the road rules,” union secretary, Mr Gemunu Paranavithana said, adding that drivers who follow the rules do not have to worry about high fines.

He said these trade union activities are carried out by a small group and do not affect the public.

Also joining the agitations, is the Joint Committee of Government Executive Officers made up of officers from 16 state services. They have listed out four demands which have not been resolved even after discussions with the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in February.

The committee claims that the government has violated the national salary policy by granting massive increments only to those in the legal sector.

Their demands are also centred on the re- implementation of the pension scheme for public servants and the removal of additional taxes imposed on them since last year.

Further, they urged that the Counter- Terrorism Bill must not be passed in Parliament.

“We will boycott all state events that would be attended by politicians from next week onwards,” committee secretary, M rH. A.L.Uda ya siri, said.

Further, executive officers have decided to remove themselves from the government’s District and Division al Coordinating Committees.

Ceylon Teachers Union chairman, Joseph Stalin said. the strike would be based on three other demands, which include increasing the budgetary allocation for the education sector, re-introducing the pension scheme for teachers and reducing their unnecessary workload.